Half Of Me
by zombie13ghurl
Summary: Naoki had finished his last year of medical school in america and was now back in tokyo. while kotoko's boyfriend had passed away and has now managed to move out on her own as she continues to work as a professional nurse. their path's cross again and Naoki tries to get back what he once tried to push away. continuation of the fanfic 'as time goes by'
1. Chapter 1

"Oh my god that new doctor is just as handsome as always"

" i don't think that will ever change"

The two nurses both sigh in admiration as their eyes followed the new doctor that was walking through the hallways of tonan hospital, as he disappears the two make their way to the nurse's room.

"I heard he did his internship in america"

"No way ! well, it only makes sense since i heard he has an IQ of 200"

"He does!? Wow, handsome , smart and capable! He's probably married to a beautiful wife"

"Nope! I did my research and i heard that he's still single !"

They both squeal in excitement as a tiny figure enters the room silently minding her own business

"Aihara-san! Did you check room 104 yet?" she yells with an intimidating tone.

"I'm on my way senpai, i just finished changing the sheets at-"

"No excuses ! i told you to check 5 minutes ago! Ugh, you're so slow! Hurry up now"

"Yes, sorry about that" kotoko bows politely

"Haha ! sometimes i wonder why it's just so fun to be mean to her"

"Because she's a pain! That's what she gets for always trying to be the nurse of the year"

"Yeah, you know that patient at room 104 ? he refuses to let me take his blood! He's just always looking for that stupid air head!"

"I hear you. That patient at room 106 too! It's so annoying"

"Whatever, she wants to work? We'll give her work"

The senior nurse smirks then laughs in an evil manner as they both continue to complain about their duties

 _-Back at the Irie/aihara household-_

"Oh! I'm so excited for tonight's dinner !" noriko squealed as she was prepping the vegetables for the side dish.

"That baka-chan comes over every week for dinner, i don't see why your always this excited each time she does" yuki states without looking away from his business marketing book.

"Why, it's because i miss her so much! Ever since she moved out, it's never been the same"

"So? You still see her"

"That's not enough! She has to come back to this house! Her father misses her too"

"Well i don't" he chuckles

"OW!"

"Enough being rude to your sister in law ! she will come back soon i guarantee !"

"Sister in law? I don't think that's accurate given the fact that onii-chan hasn't even asked her out"

"That emotionally undeveloped child of mine, something has to be done, i will not stand for this nonsense" she dramatically looks away in the distance

"Oh! Yuki-chan! Make sure you dress properly for dinner okay?"

"Why? It's just baka-chan"

"Well, yes your sister in law is coming… but you wouldn't want konomi-chan to see you in your pajama's right?"

"MOM ! i told you to stop calling her over"

"Too late! I already rang her mother and told her you're picking her up at the station! This is for your own good, you don't want to end up like your onii-chan right? Really, the men this generation are really different… my poor girls , oh how i pity them"

Yuki rolled his eyes as he continued his reading.

Though the thought of seeing konomi in a few hours kept making him feel anxious, he pretended as if he didn't care.

Noriko observed her son from afar, giggling to herself as to how similar her two boys were.

Naoki carefully placed his documents inside his briefcase.

Finally it was time to go home.

He had been working since 5AM, originally his shift would end at 3pm, but due to numerous emergencies that he needed to tend, his shift was drastically extended.

Stomach was empty, and his muscles were aching, all he wanted to do was to go home and put his feet up to relax.

The doctor checks his watch for the time. 7;10 PM already?

 _I better get home before mother gets angry again, that woman won't stop ranting everytime i come home late_

Naoki checks his phone and see's what his brain was anticipating

'Calling : okaa-san'

Rolling his eyes as he answers the call, he opens his mouth with an annoyed tone

"I'm on my way home now mom, no need to yell"

"I didn't even say anything yet onii-chan" she cleared her throat. "Anyway! I wasn't calling to scold you , i wanted to know if you're still at the hospital"

"Yes , But I'm about to leave so-"

"Perfect! Then you and kotoko-chan can walk together! You know i don't like her walking home by herself at this time! I really should buy you your own car so you and papa would stop sharing the car, that way you can always pick her up whenever" his mother chirped on the other end of the line.

Just by hearing her name got his interest, As smart as Irie Naoki was, he was extremely terrible at remembering personal dates, _ah i forgot about that, tonight she's coming to visit for dinner_

Suddenly he didn't feel as tired as he was. If anything, he was energized and inside his mind, he thanked his mother for reminding him, not to mention insisting kotoko to visit more since they all missed her.

"Yes I'll go pick her up right now, bye"

He ended the call and happily made his way to where he knew she'd be.

"Why weren't you looking! It's all over my uniform now!"

"I'm so sorry ! I'll pay for the cleaning i promise!" she bows her head down low.

Naoki didn't want to intrude on the scene since he had no idea what was going on, he slides through the wall and hides himself while listening in patiently

"You're so clumsy! I don't even understand how your even a nurse !

 _What did she just say?_ Her words aggravated him slightly.

He knew kotoko was known to be a clutz and an airhead. There were some things that she wasn't that fully capable of doing, and she still lacked some common sense at times,

But she was extremely passionate about her career and all the patients loved her.

Of course there were some who never understood the girl, but every time he would examine a patient under her care, they have said nothing but wonderful things about the nurse.

"Aihara-san, how long have you been an official nurse now?"

"U-um.. almost a year"

"Exactly! You're not a trainee anymore! I don't understand how you couldn't do such a simple thing without causing trouble!" the nurse's voice got louder

" i got scolded by Daijamori sensei because somebody decided that they wanted to show up 2 minutes late !"

Naoki rolled his eyes, this was way too exaggerated. Dr. Daijamori was always unnecessary at times, all nurses and fellow doctors complained about the man and often just brushed it off whenever he ranted.

"Gomen! On my way there, i saw a patient in need of help to walk up the stairs, i had to help her get back to her room"

"How dare you use a patient as an excuse for your tardiness! I'll make sure to inform the head nurse about your screw ups tomorrow"

The senior nurse huffs in frustration, crossing her arms.

"Now see, you made me late for my date! Clean this up before anyone slips on it, and make sure your not late tomorrow!"

The senior nurse finally storms out, leaving kotoko alone to clean up the mess she accidentally made

The room was silent as kotoko continues to stare down at the floor, frustrated at herself.

"Yosh" she sighs, as tries to encourage herself.

"Here, let me help"

Kotoko was surprised by his sudden appearance. how long had he been standing there ? she wondered.

"Are you all done for the day?"

She nodded silently, naoki could tell she was affected by all the yelling. Judging by her uniform, she looked like she had a long day herself.

"I just finished myself, want to walk together? Okaa-san said she wouldn't want you to walk to the house alone"

"Oh that was today? Sorry! I suddenly forgot… i can't come over for dinner tonight, i have to finish my professional literature so i can keep up."

Naoki frowned, he was looking forward to finally catching up with her, ever since he came back from america, they haven't really gotten around to being with each other lately since they both work such stressful jobs and kotoko wasn't living in the house anymore.

"Its good to know that your reading and continuing to do research kotoko, but that stuff is only optional, you do know that right? It's just some extra work that you can do on your own free time, not when you get home tired from work"

" i know, but I'm not smart like you irie-kun, i still have so much to learn and I'm trying my best to keep up, for everyone's sake"

 _I don't understand why she has to always go the extra mile_

"I guess. Okay, I'll let mother know"

"Thank you, and tell her I'm sorry"

After helping kotoko clean up, he stood by the wall as he watched her pack her things

"You're not leaving yet?"

"No, I'm waiting for you"

"Why? I just told you i can't go"

"Baka i know, but i also told you that mother doesn't like the idea of you walking home alone"

"Irie-kun, i can take care of myself. You must be tired and hungry so just go on ahead"

"Stop being stubborn and just hurry up, I don't want to get scolded by okaa-san because of you"

She frowned a bit, "Right, sorry"

When kotoko was finally ready to leave, they both walk together side by side out the hospital building. his ears were attentively listening to kotoko's words,

She was talking so fast , excited to tell someone about how her day went.

"Want to get some ramen?"

"Huh?"

"I know a spot close by your apartment, I'm a little hungry and knowing you, you're probably starving"

"Really? You sure you're not too tired?"

"I'm more hungry than tired, unless you'd rather have me walk you home and wait till i get home to eat"

"No no no! Let's go get some ramen ! I've been starving since this morning because i skipped lunch" she yawns tiredly "living on your own is so hard, i don't mind cooking but i rarely have time to even get groceries"

naoki nods in agreement. He had the same problem in america.

His stay there consisted of him eating a lot of fast food since his internship was so hectic. He was happy that part of his life was done and over with.

They made their way through the busy roads in tokyo.

It was extremely packed considering it was this time of the evening. Kotoko's apartment was located deep within the downtown part of being is because it was only a few minutes walk from the hospital. Naoki along with his mother, disliked the location, although it was reasonable, it was a very dangerous area, Since kotoko was a nurse, she worked very odd hours as well… sometimes she would be done at 5AM, sometimes at 7pm, the worse was if she was to ever be done at 12AM, or 2;00AM. crazy people were mostly found loitering around at some places in the city.

Homeless or strange men, drug dealers, potential psychopaths, naoki could keep going on listing all these bad people that were possible threats.

His mother was right, she shouldn't be walking home alone in this kind of area.

If only she'd move back.

The small ramen shop was tiny, but it was cozy, and the aroma made kotoko's mouth water.

Naoki heard her stomach growl the moment they walked in.

She had an embarrassed look while laughing shyly as naoki fought the urge to laugh out loud.

They sat adjacent from each other.

He remembered the time they went to the amusement park, also that day he brought her by the bridge and ate hamburgers.

 _Obviously this isn't a date._

He tried to justify the situation.

If he ever had a chance to take kotoko out on a date, he wanted to bring her somewhere nice.

She at least deserved a proper date.

 _She would probably enjoy some high class cuisine, maybe in a 5 star res-_

"Wooahhhhhh! This ramen tastes sooooo good!" she exclaimed, interrupting naoki's thoughts

"Itadakimasu!" she had a big grin on, excited over such a simple thing.

Instead of eating, naoki carefully observed the girl as she took her first serving. She looked like she just won the lottery, her reaction would convince just about anyone that she was eating a 5 star class dinner.

"Oh my goodness that's sooooo good!" she expresses with so much passion

Naoki couldn't help but smile at the sight.

 _Nevermind… If it's her, she's happy with just about anything._

Admiring her for always being grateful for every small thing she encountered. Kotoko was such a simple minded girl, another quality he wished most people had.

While women her age are desperate and never satisfied, kotoko always found the time to be happy over the simplest things given to her, it was a part of her that he always envied and admired.

They ate together and talked about a lot of things,

He later learned how much she's changed over the year, without hirosaki, she was so much more independent than before.

She moved out for that particular reason, and wanted to experience how life would be standing on her own two feet.

"I bet mother was against it at first"

"Of course she was, but i convinced her that i would visit as much as i can on my free time"

"And your father?"

"He cried and said that he was proud of me" she smiled

"That's good"

"Yeah, now yuki is probably so happy your back. He missed you alot when you left…. I never really realized how fast he's grown lately."

"I agree. He has matured quite alot over time"

"He is an irie after all. It's so cute! He takes his girlfriend on dates and they study for exams together"

"I heard about that from mother, haven't met her yet"

"No?"

He shakes his head. Curious as to why she looked so eager to talk about yuki's girlfriend

"Oh she's nice. Just not your type" she giggles

Now she has his attention, he re-arranges his sitting position and raised his brow

"my type?"

"Well, she IS from class F"

Naoki couldn't stop himself, he started to laugh. Kotoko was giggling herself. This was all so nostalgic for both of them and they both saw the humor in yuki's blossoming relationship.

Kotoko and naoki's dinner lasted quite a while. They talked mostly about highschool and how things were back then, kinnosuke was still working at the aihara restaurant along with chris,

Matsumoto and Watanabe were now engaged.

Sahoko was living happily with hanako and their kids in osaka, they later found out that she got a job at an elementary school as a music teacher.

There she found her passion in teaching children, and rediscovered her love for music.

Hanako now had her own fashion line of clothing and ran a small boutique in downtown osaka, specializing in girl's gowns and formal wear.

Jinko was on tour with her boyfriend who was now a famous musician. She was now his manager full time. Satomi and her boyfriend got married after the birth of a little baby girl. She worked for a local fashion magazine as a stylist.

The Irie's remained at shigeo's house. After getting pandai back, shigeki himself paid off half of the mortgage that shigeo had to pay off. So officially, it was their house as well.

It was only a couple of months ago when the renovation finally finished.

Noriko had designed a full extension so the house was twice it's original size.

Naoki found it completely unnecessary but with him and kotoko gone, she was probably bored out of her mind and looked into interior design as a new hobby.

Of course she was ecstatic that yuki finally had interest in girls

He was bringing konomi over occasionally , that it was enough for mrs. Irie to realize what was happening.

Naoki and Kotoko continued to talk without even noticing the time passing by.

She looked happy.

There was something about her that he just couldn't point out.

Before he could try and figure out, the server interrupted their conversation as he passed the receipt for the meal.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but were about to close"

"Oh! Okay! sorry! " kotoko reached into her pocket to grab her wallet when naoki handed the man some cash.

"Here, keep the change"

The server looked at the cash and realized how big his tip was. he smiled at the two

"Thank you so much ! please enjoy the rest of your date"

"E-eh?! Were not on a date" she blushed "also, I-uh- Irie-kun!" she turned to face naoki who was now getting ready to leave "Why didn't you let me pay for my share?" she playfully hits his arm

"Let's go, it's already 2;00AM" he stretches his arms, ignoring her

"You didn't have to do that, I'll have you know that i have mone- OH MY GOD ITS 2;00!"

"Oy! Stop being so loud"

"Hehe.. gomen… but here! At least take the money"

"No"

"But why?" she whined in a very annoying tone that made naoki's ear hurt a little

"I'm a doctor. I make more than you baka"

"I don't care how much you make, i just don't like depending on anyone like that anymore"

 _So that's what's different huh._

 _She no longer clings to anyone anymore. Especially since he's gone, and her father isn't with her either...she doesn't rely on anybody but herself.. She doesn't even need me around_

"Here, can you please just take it? I won't stop bothering you"

"Just pay next time"

"Huh?"

"This is your apartment right?"

Kotoko turns around dramatically and realizes their destination

"Oh, that was quick. Yeah this is me "

"See you" naoki was now starting to walk away from the confused girl.

"irie -kun! The money!"

"I said just pay next time, we'll eat anywhere you want so stop whining and go inside."

"B-but.."

"Goodnight"

And just like that, his tall figure disappears through the waves of people crossing.

Kotoko was left alone just like that, she didn't know what to say.

Naoki walked away with a smile on his face.

He knew his mother was waiting to bombard him with endless questions when he gets home, but that doesn't matter.

Not knowing whether it was the ramen or his tired state of mind, he had a big stupid grin all over his face as he thought about her on his way home.

 **AN:**

 **As i promised, here is the part 2 story of 'as time goes by'**

 **I won't be updating as fast as my last fic. but i figured, if i was in your shoes, of course it would make me so happy to finally get a part 2 ! also, i was so moved with all the great feedbacks and reviews with the previous story.**

 **I intentionally made ATGB's story soley for kotoko and naoki's growth , and it focused more on their friendship than the romance part, but reason being is because A.) i wanted to extend the story more and B.) because i wanted to instill a strong foundation of friendship before the romance begun. And lastly C.) because naoki screwed things up a little so it needed some fixing. LOL**

 **Anyways, i hope you all enjoy this one as you did with the first.**

 **Please leave your reviews as they are greatly appreciated :)**

 **Have a great evening!/morning!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Where have you been!?"

 _Of course, what a surprise_

"Please mother, I'm extremely tired. I texted you not to wait up"

"Even so !" she had her fists clenched on her sides, naoki tiredly yawned as he took off his tie and made his way up the stairs

"I'm an adult. Please can you just treat me like one"

"Onii-chan! Where were you!"

"See naoki!? We were all so worried !" noriko protested

 _Why is everybody breathing on my neck, for goodness sake just leave me alone_

"And why didn't kotoko come?"

"Who cares" naoki shrugs as he attempts his escape up the stairs. But his little brother blocks his way

"Because mother invited konomi! Do you want to know how our dinner went? It was all just wedding plans and future grandchild talk, mom's stupid fantasies !"

Naoki laughed a little. THAT'S why he wanted kotoko there. She was his distraction from noriko.

"Stop laughing! It was terrible!"

"But yuki! We have to plan for your future! Of course my sons deserve the best!"

"See?"

"Gomen yuki, next time I'll make sure to convince kotoko to come over"

"Why didn't she show up anyway? That baka-chan, making promises she can't keep"

Yuki crossed his arms , the same exact way naoki used to do it when he was in highschool.

"Wait! Could this mean you were with her?"

Naoki let out a sigh, how could he be so stupid!?now there's no way out. He blamed his sleep deprived mind for that.

"I KNEW IT!" noriko screamed. She jumped for joy, naoki's face said it all

It only made perfect sense

" i just joined her for dinner, now.. Can i sleep ?"

"I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS BEAUTIFUL MIRACLE ! FINALLY ! my kotoko-chan can finally come back home"

Yuki had his mouth open as naoki passed by him.

"Goodnight"

He slammed his door shut as noriko continued to celebrate by herself.

Yuki watched his own silly mother for a few seconds , rolled his eyes with a sigh of annoyance then walked back to his room

A week passed and naoki barely got to see her.

Sometimes he got lucky, they would pass by each other in the hallways , but before he could even say anything, she's too far away.

They never got assigned together, and she didn't take days off to even visit the house.

 _What has that baka been up to lately_

Naoki wondered to himself.

He was hoping to take her out to dinner like last time, but their shifts never clicked.

As the new doctor walked through the hallways , on his way to grab some coffee, he finally finds her.

Kotoko was a couple of doors away with her patient.

The nurse uniform suited her, and today she had her hair up in a simple ponytail.

She smiled brightly at the patient as she waved goodbye, making her way out the room and unto the hallways

"Ah, Irie-kun! How's work?"

Just her voice alone made naoki anxious. He wanted to ask her so many things

 _What have you been up to?_

 _Where have you been going on your day off's? Mother misses you._

 _Why haven't you called me?_

 _Are you avoiding me?_

"Fine, i have another surgery in two hours, so the gap is quite long"

"Oh i see"

"You?"

"Eh? Me? I'm on my way to-"

"Kotoko channnnn! Aoi chirped as he jumped on the tiny girl

"aoi-chan! Don't just jump out of nowhere!" kotoko giggled

"Gomen, gomen… let's go now! I'm starving...AH! IRIE SENSEI!"

Naoki's ears felt like they were bleeding but he remained calm and even graced the two nurses with a very subtle and small smile

"Kotoko-chan! Why are you talking to THE irie-sensei!? I'm so sorry for whatever this stupid girl did sensei! Were still very new inexperienced nurses starting-"

"Aoi-chan! I didn't do anything! And don't call me stupid" she pouted

"Ehh?"

"We were just catching up" naoki clarified.

"EH!? CATCHING UP!?"

 _So she didn't tell anybody.._

"yes , we were just.. TALKING" kotoko glared at him, her eyes trying to tell him something.

"Talking!?" Aoi was very confused.

"About a patient.. YES ! a patient! Right irie-SENSEI" she smiled fakely, she was acting weird, as if she was a stranger to him

Naoki raised his brow but decided to spare her, "yes"

 _Now this should be interesting_..

"Let's go aoi-chan!" at this point, she was literally dragging her friend towards the opposite end of the hallway, away from the doctor

"B-but, i want to speak to doctor sensei too!" Aoi whined

Naoki, dumbfounded with what just happened, continued to walk to his destination.

Questions fumbled through his mind

 _So she's been avoiding me…_

 _In the hospital at least… but why?_

5 minutes upon the weird encounter, his pocket vibrates.

He never checks his phone, but today… he eagerly did.

The name that popped up made his fingers tap faster

He mentally read the text

'Sorry about that Irie-kun, i didn't want anyone to find out that we went to the same high school together because i know it will cause some horrible fake gossip around the hospital, i didn't want to do that to you ever again so i think it's best if we keep it that way, okay? Thanks !'

 _What?_

 _I never asked her to do any of that._

 _It's like she's still following that 'don't talk to me when were at school' rule from highschool.._

 _Now that i think about it.. What an immature , unreasonable and insensible rule that was…I could have just lied and said that were neighbours._

 _But why do i feel like she's not only following it, but she herself is reinforcing it… to me?_

He felt a sudden bang of guilt, also , he was slightly offended.

Was this how she felt when he said that?

It clearly did not feel pleasant.

What a way to treat someone who actually cares about your own well-being.

Regardless of what he felt. He proceeded to type a reply…

'It's okay, i understand'

It contradicted with his feelings, the thought of her denying their friendship, even to go as far as avoiding him had put a tick of annoyance in his mind, the subject was like a very persistent and annoying mosquito that would not leave him alone, instead… the more he gave some thought about it, the more he overreacted.

 _No. i don't understand. I don't understand why it's necessary when there's nothing to even gossip about. Were not high schoolers anymore_

He deletes the draft and starts anew…

"Baka, I don't care what anyone says, just act as you are"

Naoki sighed. Frustrated and a little irritated, he sent the text.

A few minutes passed by without her reply… naoki was getting quite impatient.

It wasn't like him to ponder upon such childish things and to be under control by his own feelings.

He pulled out his phone again to text her

"Make sure you find time to visit the house, mother has been missing you and won't stop bugging me"

Sent.

 **AN: any guesses why she's really avoiding him? (although what she texted was true, there is a main reason why)**

 **excited to see/hear/read what you guys think :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Kotoko never replied back.

And naoki fought the urge to send her another text as the days passed by.

He was a little annoyed with what she just said,

The fact that she was trying to hide their 'friendship' the only thing that connected them to one another, made his blood boil

He wanted to tell her everything he felt

That he still loved her and always will

But there never seems to be quite the right time.

And right now, he knew he wanted to take it slow and actually get to know each other before jumping into something deeper than what they have.

Naoki wanted her to slowly fall for him again, he missed being the center of her universe.

He wanted her to want him again. Sure enough, with everything that happened, she probably had no feelings for him other than a family friend. Right?

Frustrated , he was determined to formulate a plan.

All those years that kotoko fought for her love for him, this time, it was HIS own turn to fight for his own love for her.

He promised someone he would.

Today was his day off.

He got out of bed, hair ruffled in a messy bed-do, a plain t-shirt and his sweat pants..naoki got out of bed grumpily.

He was never a morning person, he needed his daily caffeine intake.

Placing his feet inside the comfort of his indoor slippers, naoki makes his way out of his room and downstairs to the kitchen

"Ah onii-chan! Ohayo!"

"Ohayo irie-kun" a familiar voice chirps happily

 _She's here…_

Kotoko hurriedly rushes to the counter and quickly prepares a fresh cup for him.

"Ohayo" he finally manages to say. He can feel his mother intensely staring at him, as if she was going to burn a hole through his neck with her stare.

She was eager to get a reaction from her son. However, naoki being the expert that he is at obtaining his emotions, keeps his face neutral like always.

"Here !" kotoko handed him the mug.

The beautiful aroma of the coffee wakes up his nerves, his hand feeling the warmth of the mug, he was happy to be awake and alive today.

"Arigatou" he takes the mug gratefully and picks out the newspaper just like he would in a normal morning.

"So! As i was saying kotoko-chan… next time you have a late shift, make sure you let onii-chan walk you home"

Naoki felt the urge to turn his head and jump in the conversation, but his good intuition told him not to. His mother clearly had the same intentions, and after all, he really did agree with her

"No no ! that's too much of a hassle for irie-kun, i don't want to trouble him too much"

"Nonsense! Onii-chan doesn't mind ! I have you know even though onii-chan is a cold hearted creature, that son of mine is still a gentleman! I refuse to let you walk home at that kind of hour!

 _Creature? This lady…_

"I don't mind" he blurted out , he sounded so monotoned

"SEE!" noriko had a big grin on, proud of her son's response.

"But-"

"I won't allow it kotoko-san! I was watching the news last night and saw that there was a lady that just got stabbed close around to where you live! Now, tokyo is a safe city and Japan is a very safe country with good and honest citizens… compared to alot of places, but bad people will always exist! And with that time of night… in that area of the city, i just really want you to be careful! You are a woman afterall…"

Naoki couldn't agree more. For once, he found himself agreeing with everything his mother just said. She may be a real dictator, and she loves to fumble around other people's business, but the woman had a point. Kotoko's apartment was in one of the most sketchiest area's downtown, he himself wasn't comfortable with the situation.

Kotoko sighs, she knows she has no way out of this…

"Okay then okaasan, if you insist… but only if irie-kun doesn't mind"

 _There she goes again, thinking that she's a burden or something, so annoying._ Naoki kept his eyes on the paper, pretending that he didn't care what her response was.

"Perfect! Now, let's get to baking those cookies! We haven't made sweets together in so long!" noriko gets up and happily goes through the cupboards

"Oh my ! what a disaster!" she said, in such a dramatic tone, almost as if she practiced it.

"What's the matter?" she sounded so concerned

Naoki already knew this was one of his mother's trick. He knew exactly what she had up her sleeves.

"I forgot to buy the ingredients!" noriko declared with terror on her face , as if this matter meant life or death.

"Onii-chan, can you please-"

"No" naoki quickly answered. Without even looking away from his paper

"But i really need you to-"

"Why don't you go get them yourself?"

"My ankle has been hurting since yesterday from my zumba class! I can't walk too much" she lied.

"Let me see it" naoki offered

Noriko suddenly remembered her son's profession, she mentally noted, how stupid of her to say that

"Uh-um no! I already got it checked yesterday when it happened… it's not that serious. But of course… i don't want to prolong or make the damage worse… um.. Kotoko-chan, since onii-chan doesn't want to go, can you at least make the trip for me?" naoki watches as his mother uses the puppy dog eyes method at kotoko

"Sure! Just give me the list of things and i'll buy it for you okaa-san" she smiled happily

Naoki rolled his eyes, "fine i'll go. She'll probably get the wrong ones…"

"YES ! uh-um.. I mean… thank you kotoko and onii-chan!"

Kotoko and naoki walked to the convenience store in silence. The tension was quite awkward as the two said nothing to each other.

Kotoko had her long hair down , it was slightly wavy with a cute bow that tucked the sides of her hair away.

She wore a pink shirt with a white collar, and a peach skirt that extended down to her ankles.

Naoki had changed into casual clothing, he of course, looked handsome as always.

"Kotoko…"

"Hm?"

"Why are you avoiding me at work?"

"Huh? I'm not avoiding you…"

She sounded so defensive, this only aggravated naoki even more.

"Don't contradict yourself. You even texted me about it"

"Oh.. well i wouldn't say 'avoid' is the right tone… more like…" she was struggling to get a word out, classic kotoko, not knowing what to say and how to say it.

"I just thought it was troublesome for me to freely talk to you or meet with you, i don't want any of your colleagues to assume that some of my stupidity might rub on you"

 _Why was she saying this now,_

 _I never said anything about you being troublesome._

 _And I don't care what my colleagues think, they don't know anything…_

"I really don't care what anyone says, so can you please just act normally, your being troublesome right now"

"Oh… sorry, okay then.."

 _Something's not quite right, there's something she's not telling me._

A few days had passed since kotoko's sudden visit

She still continued to avoid naoki like the plague.

"Ah naoki-san, the guys and I are having dinner at this great restaurant after work, if your available, feel free to come with us"

"Ah arigatou but i think I'll pass. I promised my little brother I'd look over his homework" naoki smoothly lied

"Aw what a shame! We were going to invite those beautiful nurses funatsu kept talking about. I heard the new ones are cute but most of them declined"

" i see"

"Sensei, are you ready to go?"

"Ah yes ! what's wrong? You look a little… out of it"

"Ugh, it's that stupid newbie, she just caused a ruckus again"

"What do you mean?"

"That aihara-san, oh my god. She is such a pain"

Naoki almost turned around within hearing the sound of her name, but he wanted to hear this and remained silent

"Eh? But i heard that she was a very.. What was that?.. Energetic and passionate nurse.. Why would you say she's a pain?"

"Nobody in our ward likes her, she's so annoying, trying to outwork us and makes us look like we're slacking. We always get in trouble whenever the head nurse comes to check on us, she says that we should all be inspired by aihara-san and work hard like her"

"Ehhh, don't tell me you ladies are being naughty again and bullying another newbie, i heard last year a new nurse asked for a transfer with no specific reason"

 _Bullying her?_

"We are not bullying her! It's just a part of being a nurse and respecting your senpai's, she has to know her place"

 _Know her place huh… so that's probably why she's been avoiding me...why she's always busy._

Naoki felt the need to say something. But to somewhat reason, didn't dare open his mouth.

He knew that he was in no place to speak on behalf of her, as much as he wanted to clarify and make them understand kotoko's personality and reasonings, he realized that this was how it's going to be, and that kotoko clearly told him that she wanted and inspired to be independent

This is something he knew that she would rather take on by herself.

And although he was dying to help her , he knew that he was nothing but a friend in her eyes, and others as well.

He sighed aloud. Out of exhaustion and frustration.

That evening, naoki worked 4 extra hours doing his paperwork, reading emails, and going through his patient's daily reports,

He often worked like this each day, he loved his profession, but it required alot of mental and physical strength…

Having kotoko on his mind was not helping either.

He had no idea what to do.

As he sighed tiredly, naoki pulls out his phone only to feel it vibrate for an incoming call.

'Sahoko'

He had been talking to her lately. Curious as to how she was doing, how her child was behaving, and how she's been managing as a single mother in osaka.

The romantic feelings never bloomed between them, only friendship remained. Which surprisingly, they later grew fond to know how better off they got along as friends than as lovers.

Sahoko finally had understood her place in his life, and would even sometimes tease him about everything in the past.

They say that former lovers cannot be friends, but there wasn't any love to begin with.

Only selfish intentions that were now pushed aside, all the hatred has evaporated and the good remained, maturity and wisdom truly works its wonders.

"Moshi moshi" naoki answered

"You sound stressed"

"You know me so well"

She laughed "well, you were always either tired or bored whenever kotoko wasn't around" she teased.

"Now let's not even touch on that subject, she hasn't even moved back and she's already getting on my nerves"

"That's so you to say that. You know she won't come back if you keep that bitter attitude of yours"

"Well i can't help it if she's stupid sometimes…"

"What's wrong this time? I thought by now you two would at least be lovey dovey"

Naoki chuckled a bit, sahoko sure knew how to sound sarcastic, her true evil sense of humor was something he preferred more than the fake ladylike laughter she used to pull off.

"You make it sound so easy"

"Naoki-san, you're the only one making things hard, why don't you just tell her how you feel? We all know you tend to overcomplicate these things"

"You sound like my mother"

"Well I Am a mother now, so i kind of understand where she's coming from now"

He sighs in frustration. He was way too tired to explain everything that was going on.

Ever since kotoko came into his life, it's been problem after problem.

Things he's never experienced before keep popping out of nowhere. Forcing him to think quick on his feet, causing those ugly human emotions to get mixed all together.

"Naoki-san, a woman can't read minds, she needs to know, you need to tell her" sahoko insisted.

"I'll try my best" naoki finally managed to say, he just wanted her to drop the subject.

"Okay. hanako and I will come visit tokyo soon, once she's not as busy. Us girls need to catch up you know?"

"You three make way too much noise when you're here, even mother joins in and acts like she's your age" he complained

"It's fine, we enjoy her company as well" sahoko chirps happily

After the call naoki plops his tired body into the sea of his duvet.

The comfort of his mattress was sinking him in. he was tired.

This whole week was extremely hectic for him that he barely got any sleep.

He drifted off slowly , not bothering to change.

Eyelids carefully closing into a deep sleep as his body finally gets the signal to relax.

 _'Eh where am i'_

Naoki turns around , he doesn't remember what just happened, the last thing he remembered was getting ready for bed.. And-

He was surrounded by students, then just like that, he instantly knew where he was, the setting was all too familiar, how can he possibly not know where he was.

Tonan high. The school uniform was giving him so many nostalgic feelings, all to which are things he has yet to feel.

He takes in the scenery, the aura of innocence, youth, and the endless possibilities to do anything, and everything you want.

A smile crept through his lips as he smiled , looking back at those good old days where he had no worries in the world.

"Um… "

 _That voice…_

His head quickly turns , literally a few feet away, was a young naoki who was on his way to school, only to be stopped by no other than the very persistent kotoko that stood in his way.

Naoki knew all too well how this was about to go down, he walked closer to the youngsters, aware that they indeed could not see, hear or even sense him there.

This was all a dream, naoki couldn't believe his own brain for betraying him at a time of rest.

He watched himself from a distance, then turned to look at kotoko who had her fists clenched , tucked on her sides as her body shook a little.

 _She's so nervous.._

"Who are you"

"I-i'm aihara kotoko, from class F" she stuttered a little.

"Um.. please read this"

She held out the envelope, presenting it to him as if it was her own heart that she was giving him as an offering.

The young naoki stared at the envelope, his blank face was empty like a white canvas, untouched. He showed no emotion , or interest.

 _I'm not quite familiar with how i responded or what i said actually… i think-_

"No thanks" the young irie cooly said as he continued to walk to class, he looked like he didn't care about anything in the world at the moment, but to get away from this strange girl.

Naoki couldn't help but stare at the young kotoko, who stood there frozen. Letter still on hold. Her face said it all, but as he moved to come closer, for some reason it made the wind blow a little harder, causing the letter to fly off away from her tiny fingertips.

 _Ah, gomen.. I didn't mean to do that…_

The letter landed further down the ground, perfect timing for the young irie to unconsciously step on it, as if the rejection wasn't enough.

It all happened so fast. And just like that, it all ended quickly as well.

 **BEEP BEEP BEEP**

 _"Ahhh.. it's already 7;00 AM"_

As he started another day, naoki couldn't help but wonder why and how that dream managed to creep into his deep sleep.

While brushing his teeth, he stares at his own reflection as he mentally reminded himself that he HAS to settle things with kotoko , for his own sanity.

 **AN: if any of you noticed, I'am going extremely slow with the time line here, unlike my first fic 'as time goes by'. For this one, I wanted to take it very slow, so I can put in as much content and happenings here and there. I'am also struggling with writing Naoki's POV's. I'am constantly trying to keep him in character while at the same time, giving him slightly soft spots in his heart and conciousness (esp for kotoko) it is such a challenge but I hope i can satisfy you all to the best of my abilities :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_Days passed by and i barely saw her._

 _I thought i would get lucky catching her at the cafeteria during lunch breaks, i managed to see her group of friends here and there but no sign of kotoko._

 _Soon enough, i have lost my patience. I have to get a hold of her somehow._

 _I approached her friend that was in the same department as her, the man with alot of make up. I recall kotoko calling him moto-chan. He was the student that begged to wear a female nurse's uniform during kotoko's capping ceremony_

 _The whole table freezes once i make my presence known_

"Excuse me, have any of you seen kotoko?"

"Irie sensei!" The two nurses squeal. Just enough to make my ears hurt a bit

"Oh ! Kotoko-san is on lunch break"

"i haven't seen her in a while, any idea where she might be having her lunch?"

The two looked at each other in a concerned way, they looked conflicted

 _I don't think they'll budge, i have to try something else._

He instantly flashes them a gentle and charismatic smile

"I'm sure you two lovely nurses would have some idea,if i recall from previous matters….. you all are such great friends of hers after all, kikyou-san and shinagawa-san right?"

Marina blushed "oh, i can't believe you remember us !"

Naoki could see that the small act made the two swoon in admiration, he thanked his brain for always remembering the smallest of details.

He hated having to do what he just did, to him it felt lowly. But at this point, he was desperate.

In a flirtatious voice, motoki spoke "Um... kotoko doesn't have lunch with us here in the cafeteria anymore, it's too troublesome for her. She prefers eating alone now in the rooftop"

"Oh, okay. Thank you then"

The two nurses admire him as he walks away. But naoki stops dead in his Tracks and makes his way back to the table

"Can i ask you two a question?"

"Of course ! Anything for you irie sensei!" Marina exclaimed

"Why is it troublesome for her to eat here ? She usually sits with you guys every lunch"

"Oh! Thats because the senior nurses are always bullying her every chance they get! They always give her a-"

Marina aggressively places her hands on motoki's mouth to keep him from spilling the beans

She looked as if she was attemptting to choke her friend.

"Shh! Moto-chan!"

"Ah gomen" he shyly smiles, trying hard to gain his composure

"Hmm.. i see" naoki says as he walks away.

Naoki quickly purchases some bread and quietly makes his way to the rooftop.

 _That kotoko. This area of the hospital is prohibited. She will get in trouble is she gets caught._

As he makes his way the staircase, his mind goes back to that incident he overheard a few days ago.

He opened the door to an empty wind felt refreshing ,leaves covered the roof as his eyes meet a familiar figure who sat absent minded , probably daydreaming, as she ate peacefully by herself

He starts to walk towards her and she spins around to see her intruder.

"Eh? Irie-kun?"

"Yo" his face blank

"Mind if i eat with you?" He raised the plastic bag he was holding

"No not at all" she shook her head

Silence.

 _What do i say now? I don't want to pry on her business if she's not willing to tell me about it_

"So, how's work?" Kotoko managed to beat him to it, this was always the question she asked whenever they would have an awkward encounter

"Its good. Just a lot to deal with, you?"

"Its great! although i still have a lot i need to get better at, i just hope i'm helping all my patients to get better" she beamed

 _Of course she's not going to tell me, why would she…._

Her irritable chewing paused, his eyes watched her carefully as her gaze fell low, she was literally staring at nothing

"I'm trying my best, now that i finally have a purpose to fulfill, i want to do it properly"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since what happened the past few years, i realized how small actions can make such a huge impact on a person's life. How much i can do help others and the people around me" she chuckled a bit

"I may not be as smart, or skilled, but i at least want to give it everything i've got"

Naoki knew exactly what she meant. He can relate to everything she just said, nobody in the whole world understood him as well as she does.

He also knew that majority of this fire came from her being with hirosaki, and how his illness ended his short life, knowing kotoko, this was probably why she strived to provide her patients nothing but her best, she always had the purest intentions, they were too easy to read. kotoko was such an open book, very simple.

"When he left, most of the nights i blamed myself for not being able to save him"

"But then through time, i finally came to realize that maybe things happen for a reason, that we were put in this world to do something, that we cross paths with people with a purpose, why we lose precious things so that we learn to appreciate what we have"

"Ah gomen, I'm just rambling now"

Naoki didn't move his eyes away from her, he was so captivated by her presence alone.

Was it even possible to fall even harder for her? He fought the urge to kiss her, although a confession on the rooftop suddenly popped up, a small part of him held back.

He questioned his own value, if he was even enough , if he even deserved her after everything.

She was a whole person, and himself?

He was only half the man everyone claimed him to be.

He still lacked numerous things, he was half empty, there was a void inside him that everyone was so blinded to see.

Regardless, whether he deserved her or not, he knew in his mind that he would never be able to love anyone in his life but her.

"Kotoko"

"Eh?"

"What time does your lunch end?"

"At 12;30" she smiled at him brightly

There was a long pause, naoki stared intensely at her

Then her smiling face froze and she instantly looks into her watch

"OHHHMYYYYGOODNESSSSSS!"

"IT'S ALREADY 12;35!"

Naoki burst out laughing, her face was priceless !

Her fist hit his shoulder "why didn't you tell me earlier ! oh my god, they will skin me aliveeeeee"

Naoki couldn't stop laughing, kotoko was so surprised, it's been awhile since she saw him laugh

"You were distracting me ! i barely got to even eat my food!" she tried to sound angry

Kotoko started to hurriedly pack her things, she was panicking. This was extremely entertaining for naoki, it was so like her to space out like an idiot and be late with no excuse to show for.

Before she could leave he grabbed her wrist and locked eyes with her, his laughter had finally stopped and he was back to his plain straight face

"Can i have it?"

"Eh? What?"

"Obento, can i have the rest?"

He eyed the pink feminine container that she held

"N-no"

caught off guard, she tried to pull away, she could feel her heart racing out of her chest

"Let's trade" he handed her the plastic bag , kotoko paused a moment, contemplating

"Fine! Just let go already! I'm already late! " she looked away as she stammered with her words

He lets go of her wrist and they trade. Without another word she hurriedly runs towards the door, almost tripping. leaving naoki alone with his thoughts and her pink bento box.

A slight feeling of happiness sparked inside him,

 _i distracted her huh…_

The success of finally getting even the slightest of her attention, the fact that he was in her head , even if it was just a second… he felt like he just won an award for that.

Proud with his accomplishment, he was over the moon.

As he lifts the container he gets the chopsticks ready in his fingers and reaches for the egg omelette, placing it inside his mouth.

"Ah, it tastes pretty good"

As he continues to chew even more, he felt a slight crunch

Using his fingers, he pulls out a small egg shell from his mouth, he stares at it for a second

And a big grin spreads on his lips

"I spoke too soon"

 **AN: I really wanted them to have lunch at the rooftop, just like the typical shoujo manga couples do! so this was a bit tricky to write, hope your all enjoying the story so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN:**_

 **I know that this is a kotokoxnaoki fanfic,and im also aware that i already set the tone for a happy and heartwarming story, but because it's a sequel to my previous fanfic, i can't manage to avoid placing a bit of hirosaki here and there. Sorry about that.**

 **But really, its not like i have much of a choice, i really do need to explain how kotoko slowly managed to let him go eventually… hope you all like it**

*kotoko's POV*

 _today i was talking to hirosaki-kun as we ate lunch at father's restaurant, and we spent hours just talking about how our high school experiences were._

 _I got really excited about it , so i decided that after dinner, once everybody's asleep, i would try to find our old high school photo's._

 _Okaa-san said that she remembered putting some away in a white box in the attic._

 _Since i already quit my internship, and i don't have to wake up early tomorrow, i might as well go look for them once everyone is asleep._

 _The attic looked a bit scary and the temperature was really cold._

 _It took me a while in order to spot the box okaa-san told me about._

 _It was quite the size actually, i wondered what else was in there…_

 _As i opened it, my heart stopped._

 _These weren't just our high school photo-albums_

 _They were mostly irie-kun's things that she probably put away since he left…_

 _I could feel the smile spread on my face when i opened the photo-album_

 _It was a picture of me, jinko and satomi_

 _I suddenly miss them alot._

 _Then the next page was a picture of irie-kun and watanabe, sugoi… they both look super cool in this picture.. The boys from class A…_

 _Ahh, it's me, jinko, satomi and kin-chan! We all look so young here…. Ahhh the good old days when life wasn't that complicated !_

 _I flipped through a couple more pages, but my hand stopped at this one particular one…_

 _My eyes stayed glued unto it, and i could feel my fingers tremble._

 _I wasn't looking at a picture...i was looking at a letter._

 _My letter…. No wait… naoki's letter… my.. Love letter to him?_

"To Irie-naoki?"

 _I flipped the cover over._

 _This wasn't a highschool album okaa-san had made for us. This was…. Could it be ?_

 _I hurriedly look at the box, searching for something…_

 _And there it was, a label. "Irie naoki, please do not touch my stuff" his handwritting… this was irie-kun's things…._

"W-why did he keep all this?"

 _I look through the contents of the box besides the album_

 _The pink cute pen i lent him back when he tutored me…._

 _The note i left for him that night yuki got sick…_

 _The head massager…._

 _They.. were all here?_

 _He kept them, all this time?_

 _I felt a tear run down my cheek… what is this? Why am i crying all of a sudden…_

 _I gripped unto the letter. No, i can't be thinking about him now, right now i have hirosaki-kun. I love him… i really do… but why_

 _I get ready to tear it, so i can get rid of it. So i can finally stop going back to the past, ive moved on! Ive changed so much, and i can finally be happy with someone who loves m-_

"What are you doing?"

 _I quickly turned around, it was hirosaki-kun. Oh no._

"H-hirosaki-kun?"

"Do you really want to do that?"

 _I looked at him, he seemed so tall compared to me._

 _Although he's sick, he seemed so strong, so composed and stable._

*end of kotoko's POV*

He see's her jump up once he made his presence known

The lonely tear in her eye and the letter she was getting ready to destroy

It wasn't really that hard to piece it all together. He knew this day would come from the very beginning they started dating.

Kotoko was sitting on the floor in front of the box. And hirosaki was at the end of the room with his hands in his pockets.

Kotoko froze , caught red handed, confused and distraught with questions clouding her mind

Hirosaki walked towards her and knelt beside her, he did what he always did and gently placed his hand on her head, she flinched but remained frozen

He then pulled her close with both hands, pressing her tiny figure on his.

"It's okay, i knew this whole time… so please don't rip the letter"

"Eh?"

"You still love him… i know. You always have, and you always will"

"That's not true"

"Kotoko, don't be stubborn and just admit it... "

"B-but i love you…"

"There's different kinds of love, i caught you in your moment of weakness, in the moment naoki couldn't fight for you…in the moment you were so broken, but did you know? This whole time? I knew all of this…. But i still decided to be with you, for my own selfish sake"

"B-but"

"It's okay, even just for a little while, im glad i got to cherish you"

She hugged him back, gripping tightly unto his shirt

"No matter who you love kotoko, just by being by your side… it's enough to make me the happiest"

"Hirosaki-kun…"

*hirosaki's POV*

 _After she cried in my arms, i finally convinced her to promise me that she would try her best so she can be a great nurse to help naoki, I'm gald she finally told me._

 _i knew her hidden feelings would eventually come back, what amazed me was how calm i was about it,_

 _Maybe because I already knew what i was getting myself into when she confessed her feelings to me._

 _I let her stay by my side because i was being selfish._

 _But now isn't the time to be selfish, i don't have much time anymore._

 _And i want to make sure before i leave, that she will be okay._

 _After our long talk, she finally fell asleep on the couch, i look at her sleeping face and i can't help but let out a chuckle since she was drooling a bit._

 _She was probably tired from crying._

 _I took out my phone and called an old friend_

 _It rang twice until he picked up._

*end of hirosaki's POV*

"Moshi moshi ?"

"Naoki-san"

"Hirosaki-san? Why are you calling?"

"Why not ? am i not allowed to call you?"

"It's already late there in japan" naoki stated the obvious

"Im shocked you still keep up with our time...but then again, you are a smart guy…" hirosaki sighed

"My mother calls almost everyday" he clarifies

They talk for a bit, mostly about everything that's been happening since naoki left.

"So… just to clarify, your still coming back right?"

"Of course, I'm only here until i graduate"

"Good, I'm sure your mother has told you that I'm running out of time right ?"

Naoki was silent, he was not comfortable talking about this subject. Although it was already a known fact that hirosaki was seriously ill, naoki just refused to talk about the subject.

"Make sure you take care of her, i told you before remember? Make sure she gets the happiness she deserves, whether its with you or not, just make sure she finds it"

"Um…"

"My dream for both of you is that in the future…you can both be happy, and also...i hope you can both work as a team to help people in need…so that in the future…. those people like me would have a better chance in the long run… as long as the two of you work hard.. You'll be able to help others...i really hope it will come true some day"

There was a long pause, the silence wasn't tense though , it was quite peaceful …

"Don't worry… I'll do my best to make it come true" naoki finally stated

Hirosaki let out a chuckle as he grinned

"Thank you"


	6. Chapter 6 'flowers and storms'

"Hi everyone!" she greeted the room with her welcoming smile

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the 3 men screamed shakingly, they acted more like little girls upon seeing the arrival of their nurse.

"ITS AIHARA-SAN!" the patient yelled, he had a terrified look on his face. The 4th patient though, had a confused look on his face.

He had just been admitted a few hours ago, and was oblivious as to what was happening.

They all looked like they had seen a ghost

"What do you mean by 'no'!?" she raised her brow, clearly offended.

"W-what are you trying to do?" the 1st patient regretfully asked.

"I'm taking a blood sample"

"Ohhh god!" from w-who?..."

"Mr. Harada, and Mr. Kimura"

"Ahhhh it's meeeee!" the patient beside him yelled in agony

 _Whats with that reaction...is he really THAT afraid of shots…._ kotoko asked herself.

"Come on! Let's do it" she placed the cart on his bedside and started to get ready.

"Are you afraid of a little shot? You're just like a kid!" the patient laughed nervously, he was scared enough that he was fighting his own bladder. He knew exactly what was about to go down.

"Give me your arm please, do you prefer right? Or left?"

"Don't screw up" he said, as he handed her his right arm

"Leave it to me! Let's start with the tourniquet"

"Squeeze your thumb tightly please"

"Okay now…" kotoko furiously pulled with too much strength, causing discomfort to her patient as he screamed from pain

"Okay, let's make those veins pop!"

She then proceeds to slap his arm agressively

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

"Now some rubbing alcohol…okay, it will feel a little cold"

"Okay…."

Her eyes lit up as soon as the needle was exposed. _'Yosh! I can do this!'_ kotoko tries to encourage herself. The patient's panicking was not helping her concentrate at all, if anything, it added so much pressure, she definitely was trying hard not to lose it.

"Now, this may sting a little" she smiles, trying to ease his fears. But he continues to shake intensely.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH" he screeches on top of his lungs

"Thats weird, blood is not coming out"

 _Don't panic kotoko! You have to stay strong for your patient!_

She keeps up her brightest smile and tries to assure him again, hoping this time, he would stop shaking…

 _if he would just hold still… it would help alot...but i can't blame him for being scared of needles… or me…_

"Don't worry!... narrow veins perhaps?... that's strange.."

She tries again, another failure.

Another one,

And then another, each time his screams were getting louder

 _Come on kotoko.. It's just a simple injection! You can do this…_

"What are you doing aihara-san?!"

"Nurse Shimizu!"

"Let me do it!"

"Oh…"

She watches as the other nurse does the job perfectly, the patient was perfectly still and relaxed

 _If only he'd hold still like that..._ she pouted

 _No no no! I can't let this frustrate me.. I have to at least try harder !_

"Well, since your in good hands… how about you mr. Harada?" she lifted up the tray filled with materials,

The man got up from the hospital bed, his mouth flung open in a exaggerated manner, he fled away almost tripping on his own IV, terrified of getting his shots done by her.

 _Its that bad….?_ Kotoko huffs in distress

(AN: CUE THE MUSIC ! ahaha, this is where the theme/intro song comes on, well… i knew this day would come, that i would have to explain what happened when naoki left for America, since the whole fanfic was about _after_ he came back, i still wanted to give you all a little treat as to what happened when he was gone, hope you all enjoy!)

"Out of the question!"

"aihara-san, how long has it been since you started your training?"

2 months….

"Do you consider yourself a legitimate nurse now? One that is capable of all fundamental duties?"

"U-um… is that a trick question?"

"Answer me!"

"Uh- um…. Yes?"

"WRONG!"

"Yes you are allowed to do certain things, but did i not tell you to call someone after failing two times?!"

"I-im s-ssorry"

"And yesterday you also did-"

 **BEEP ! BEEP ! BEEP!**

"Ah! That's my patient calling!"

"Yesssss how can i help you?" she cheerfully answered the phone.

"What?... okay! Got it!... Nurse shimizu, i have to run, my patient needs me" she puts on a serious face after hanging up the phone

"aihara -san!" the nurse attempts to call her back, but kotoko was too quick, she was out of the room in a second

After a long day, kotoko was called by the head nurse.

Kotoko had a long and tiring day, her feet felt like cement blocks, they were so heavy since she had been running around all day trying her best to tend to patients.

In her defence, she still had a lot to learn since she just started training just a couple of weeks ago. She was only a few weeks in her training when she suddenly postponed her career for a while, the moment she found out about hirosaki's condition, she resigned and vowed to come back once things settled down…

After his death, she was empty and heart broken. until she found that video that encouraged her to continue living to the best of her abilities.

She slowly picked herself up and eventually came back to work at tonan hospital.

Hungry for more growth and independence, she moved out and got an apartment close by.

This way, she can work as much as she can to improve.

Only, there was one slight problem… being a nurse… it's wasn't as smooth sailing as she thought, she struggled every day. Living alone and taking care of herself alone was a challenge, being left behind by her colleagues who were already ahead of her, and having to learn so much more alone put such a heavy pressure on her. Kotoko was at the edge, at this point she was already getting disappointed at herself.

The head nurse inhaled, then exhaled. Clearly she was getting frustrated with kotoko.

"I heard from nurse shimizu that we have a problem"

"In just one day, we've had complaints from dr. Ezaki, Dr. Daijamori, and even some patients...your making too many fundamental errors !"

"I'm sorry"

The head nurse closed her eyes , again she sighed, this one extended a bit longer, as if she was trying to calm herself down, thinking of the right words to say to kotoko.

"Aihara-san.."

"Yes?"

"Why did you become a nurse ?"

"Sorry?"

"Answer the question, why did you become a nurse?"

The room was silent and kotoko felt a sudden ache in her heart, the question really hit her hard.

A few seconds passed by but neither said a words

Finally she managed to state her answer, "um… i made a promise to someone that i will do my very best to help those in need…"

"Ah i see…"

"I also aspire to team up with someone who's studying to be a doctor! I guarantee he will help many people! And i really want to be the one assisting him, i feel like with his incredible skills and ability, he can truly make a difference, i somehow want to be a part of that…i want to be as great as he's going to be…"

"And who is this person you are referring?"

"Ah, a very special friend, he's in the states finishing his internship there"

She smiled a bit as her eyes fell on the floor.

 _Ahhh irie-kun, i wonder what your up to now…._

"Hmmmmm…."

Again it was quiet for a few seconds, kotoko was already exhausted. She was already so used to getting scolded and yelled at, and at this point, she's done fighting it.

"Listen aihara-san" the head nurse grabs her hand, she had so much passion in her eyes as she called for kotoko's attention

"You want to assist him in helping as much people as you both possibly can right?"

"Of course!"

"If he is what you say he is, that doctor is probably making his marks right now as we speak!"

She nods her head vigorously

"You want to make a good partner so that he can perform to the best of his abilities right?"

She nods again

"But as it stands, if you don't change your ways...you will not only make a poor partner, but you will also be a burden for him, or whoever you try to assist!"

 _A burden…. On naoki?_

The sudden thought shocked her.

As harsh as it sounded, it was the truth.

Naoki was probably out there performing nothing but sheer perfection,

While she was back there in tonan, failing to even give proper injections

The sudden loss of her special person, and the absence of naoki had taken such a toll on her, that she had lost her way into a deep hole.

She thought about this as she walked home.

Now what? Hirosaki was gone… naoki wasn't there… she comes home to an empty space everyday, without any dinner ready, with the messy laundry greeting her tired figure.

Her stomach growled, she hadn't eaten in a total of 5 hours.

Kokoto walked towards her cupboard, _no more instant ramen?_

She sighed as she lays down on her bed as the mattress creaked.

Drowning her mind with so much heavy thoughts, she slowly settled into a deep slumber.

The next day kotoko spent her day off at the cafe

She sipped on a latte as she continued to read her old nursing books, to refresh her memory and to help her remember everything.

For dinner, she decided to go to her father's restaurant. Oh how she missed him.

But the longer she stayed there, waiting for her food… the more she continued to cloud her mind with endless worries.

 _A burden… to naoki… to the patients…._

 _Enough, I can't be this negative, I have to keep my chin up.. yeah thats right!_

Kotoko got all her things ready, she was off to somewhere she always went to whenever she felt down, anywhere but alone by herself in that apartment.

The Aihara restaurant wasn't that busy since it was a weeknight

kotoko sat by the bar stool in front of her hear working father, both didn't speak a word, since he was on duty at the moment, but he knew for sure that his daughter wasn't feeling herself that night.

He wasn't really the type to pry on her business, instead, he was waiting on her to open up as to what was bothering her so much.

Kotoko's back slouched in such a unload-like manner

She sighed as she looked at the dish her father prepared for her, it was extremely unusual for her to lack the appetite, given the fact that she only had cookies at the cafe for lunch.

the thought continued to bother her, and although she was fighting strong to stay positive, the possibility of that reality was eating her alive, depression filled her head as she continued to waste her time staring at her untouched food.

Another sigh again, shigeo was about to finally say something, but before he opens his mouth

kinnosuke finally spots her, "what's wrong kotoko?"

"We haven't seen you in a while, why are you so down ?"

Chris just behind him as she wipes the counter space beside her. "Really kotoko, what happened?"

"You finally became a nurse, I was looking forward to being nursed back to health by kotoko"

He said this as he pretended to use a stethoscope

"I'll take care of you kinnosuke" Chris interrupted him

"Idiot! That was my fantasy!" Chris looked at him with her brows furrowed

"Well discard such fantasies!"

"What for?"

"I can be a nurse too!"

"You can?"

"I can!"

"Prove it"

"OK"

She pretends to check his blood pressure.

 _Ahhh they look so cute and happy…._ kotoko felt happy for them, but she slightly felt a bit of envy as she watched the two play nurse and patient, she giggled a bit.

"You two get along so well"

"Why don't you get married ?"

"Yeah! Tell him that kotoko!" Chris encouraged her friend as she clung unto kinnosuke's arm tight with a big grin on her face

"Ehhh?!"

Kinnosuke struggled to free his arm "let go of me"

Kotoko suddenly remembered Naoki, this was how their relationship was back then when she was so obsessed with him, though she would like to see him again soon, he was miles and miles away from her. She missed him a lot.

"You can work together, doing your passion for a living…and be together forever while doing it….I'm so envious" she finally admitted, while her smile slowly turned into a frown.

"You miss irie, is that it? You really want to work with him that bad huh…"

"Its hard trying to pursue your dream , especially when your just starting out… it's even harder being apart from the man you love while you struggle even more" Chris empathizes with her

"Uh-no, it's not like that anymore! I-" kotoko tries to explain, but Chris cut her off

"I gave up going home to England, my passion was always Japanese cuisine , and of course… you kinnosuke, but still… you can't give up just like that kotoko! On your dream… and on naoki!"

"To be honest, I don't know anymore… we promised each other , we would work hard so we can both help those people in need… I want to be able to be there for Naoki when he needs it the most, but at this rate.. I don't even think I'm worthy enough even as a nurse, and as a woman… to be beside him, to work beside him… I feel so helpless even though I'm trying my best everyday.. I guess it's never going to be good enough…

"They're right…. I mess up all the time… I've been a burden on doctors and patients all the time…they're scared of me.. at this rate… I won't be able to assist Naoki, I'll just get in his way…"

Shigeo looked at his daughter, he remembered how he started off as a young apprentice, the days he struggled to shadow his mentor, the late nights he spent studying the art of traditional Japanese cuisine, he knew exactly what his daughter was going through, he just didn't know how to comfort her , or encourage her. Before he could open his mouth to say something, again he was inturruped. But by Chris this time.

She slammed her hand on the counter making everybody jump

"No kotoko! Don't be so negative! Where's the kook that inspired me in the matters of love and life!? The kotoko I know Is not weak and negative ! you have been through so much… you even told me you were from class F before, but look! You passed the national boarding exam ! You even put your internship on hold, to take care of hirosaki-san, and even after he passed away, your still here, your still going strong, you have been through so much, you can't stop now !"

Kinnosuke looked at Chris with eyes of admiration, every word was the truth.

"So what if your not as smart as Naoki.. just try your best and study everyday!

So what if your not experienced as those other nurses? You will learn and grow more through time !

Just never, EVER give up!… the kook I know, would trample over flowers and storms to pursue her dreams! That's the real kotoko!"

"Flowers and …storms?"

"Yes !"

"Trample over ?"

"Of course !"

She stared of blankly for a few seconds and she slowly nodded her head as all those words sinked in her system

"Your… right"

"All I can do… is try my best to overcome my challenges.."

She finally stood up and adjusted her posture, her eyes lit fire again, they were burning with passion.

"If I just stand still… I'll never be able to catch up to Naoki! I have to at least try my best! With everything I've got!"

Chris grabbed her fists "thats the spirit kotoko!"

"Chris!"

"That's the real kotoko!"

"For sure ! I'll do it! I'll become the best nurse! Worthy to assist Naoki!"

The two girls cheered as shigeo watch them both hype each other up.

He smiled at the sight of his daughter finally getting courage again, truly, she has been through a lot.

Regardless of everything, he was proud with how she had been able to cope with life with her chin up.

"Your so resilient" he proudly mumbled to himself.

 **AN: hope your finding some kind of entertainment through this, also just wanted to put a disclaimer that everything that you recognize from the live action/manga/anime is not mine.**

 **please leave a review to let me know how your liking/disliking the content so far :)**

 **Your feedbacks are greatly appreciated**


	7. Chapter 7

The day was bright and sunny.

Tokyo looked as busy as ever, people going to their whereabouts in this warm normal day.

The breeze was fresh and the sunlight was just right.

Kotoko spreads her arms wide open as she smiles at the morning sun

Her smile widening as she closes her eyes and greets the fresh air, she was again, counting her blessings as she says a small prayer of thanks in her head.

As she gets ready, she hums a familiar tune, nothing made her happier than going to work without having to rush. She was thankful, this time her alarm went on the right time and she managed to wake up happily.

The hospital was as busy as ever, kotoko quickly spots naoki in the corner of her eye.

He was across the hallway, talking to his colleagues and fellow doctors, she could sense his cool and calm aura from afar, nothing about his personality has changed since high school, he still spoke the same way, his gestures were as calm and subtle as ever, his voice still cold and monotoned, and his mature elegant posture remained the same, she admired him from afar.

Truly he was from a different dimension she thought, no matter how much she's changed.

He will always be the irie-kun she admired from afar.

A smile unconsciously made its way to her pink lips as she redirects her attention to her destination, she picks up her pace and that was when he finally noticed her.

He admired how well her uniform suited her petite figure.

The low braid and loose strands of her hair seemed like a natural but cute hairstyle that he liked on her, naoki thought about how much she's changed over the years, and how much she hasn't.

True she wasn't as stupid as before, but her physical appearance had a slight mature feel to it, of course the pink touches never disappeared, and he often caught her in her clumsy moments.

Her manners and etiquette had definitely improved, but her laugh was still has funny as ever, and her voice, oh how he loved hearing it, especially whenever she called his name.

"Ah that's the nurse i was telling you guys about"

"Which one ?"

"That one ! there !"

"Oh, aihara-san? Yeah i heard about her ! she's always so cheerful and happy! She's a hit with the patients!"

Naoki was not liking where this conversation was going, he kept silent.

"I wonder if she has a boyfriend! I really want to ask her out, she's my type"

"How classic, a nurse as a girlfriend"

Naoki resisted the urge to roll his eyes, a flame of annoyance fired up inside him.

"I heard she's got a boyfriend" he lied

In an instant, he regretted saying it, given the current situation with his relationship with her, which was unfortunately still in the friendship zone.

"Oh really? I don't think so, maybe i'll go ask her once i get the chance"

That's was the last straw, he started to walk away without warning.

It was so early in the morning and his day was already ruined. How can he possibly refrain any guy from asking kotoko out? She practically was out of his reach, his luck with seeing her and getting her back has been so bad lately, he needs to come up with a better plan, and fast.

-meanwhile in the nurse's office-

"Ahhh aihara-san! Perfect timing!"

"Yes nurse shimizu?"

"You've been assigned to a new patient, here are her files… i already got her settled in so she's resting for now"

"Ah, thank you so much ! i'll do my best!"

"You always do" the nurse smiles at her and quickly leaves the room to tend to a patient.

Kotoko goes over the nurse reports from before since it was a little slow at this hour, and she was a bit phone finally rings and kotoko cheerfully answers it.

"Ah, i need a nurse ! right now! It's an emergency!"

"Y-yes! I'll be there right away!"

The old lady looked at her with a confused expression

"Ehhh? What happened to the pretty nurse that i saw yesterday? Your so plain compared to her!" she complained

Kotoko nervously laughed, trying to change the atmosphere

"Hehe… she got transferred to a different hospital because she's moving cities, but not to worry! I'm here ! i'm ready to help you"

"Well i don't really care, i just hope your not as hopeless as you look"

Kotoko's smile disappeared, she was hoping to God that the old lady was just having a bad day or something

"Here!"

"Umm.."

"Well don't just stand there! Scratch my back!"

"Um.. the back scratcher should be able to let you use it so you can do it yourself, also… you should only call the nurse when it's an actual emergency"

"What did you just say?! Are you saying this isn't an emergency?! My back is really really itchy and i need help! Now don't just stand there wasting time, come help me you idiot! What kind of a nurse questions a patient's needs"

Kotoko's eyes widened. She knew this was going to be a tough day for her. Not even an idiot can miss that fact.

The morning passed by swiftly for everyone else. Naoki had just finished his rounds and was now heading to the cafeteria to finally get something in his stomach.

Although that part of him was empty, his mind was filled with thoughts of when and how he can manage to catch a glimpse of kotoko.

Lucky for him she finally decided to appear in the cafeteria.

She was slouched down as if she just ran a marathon.

His curiosity got the better of him as he continued to walk, wondering what could have caused that kind of reaction on her, his alarm bells started ringing when he overhears one of his friends a few feet away from him.

"Ah it's aihara-san! I never see her in the cafeteria! Maybe today's my lucky day! I'm going to go talk to her!"

 _Not if i have anything to say about it_

-meanwhile-

The two nurses, Motoki and marina were chatting, they were complaining about their patients and how much they both disliked them

"Ahhh! That anime club is soooo weird, everytime they call and ask for me it's so unnecessary!" marina huffed

"I feel you sister, all my patient does is eat snacks and junk food all day! No wonder he needs alot of help!... ah! Kotoko! You finally come visit us for lunch after so long! Uh… whats wrong with your face?"

Kotoko didn't even carry any food with her, she just slammed her tired body on the chair and used the table as a hard pillow to rest her head as she pouted

"Whats wrong?" marina asked

"That yoshida-san is incredible…"

"Eh?"

"She called me...15 times this morning"

Her two friends looked at her in disbelief, their mouths hung wide open

"15 TIMES!?" they both repeated, as kotoko sadly shook her head to confirm

"I had to massage her back, her shoulders, her arms and her legs… i also had to scratch her back, make her like 3 cups of tea, then fetch her snacks !

Before she could utter another word, three of the senior nurses appeared and occupied the table beside them, kotoko froze, hoping that if she stayed still they wouldn't bother her.

But then again, she was wrong.

"Ah! Aihara-san! Good job today… we couldn't even help you out even if we wanted to since we're so busy and yoshida-san preferred you over us so we let you take the stage! We hope it wasn't too much for you" she said in a sarcastic tone

Before kotoko could come up with a reply, one of the senior nurses squealed as her eyes spotted something in the distance

"Oh my gosh it's irie-sense!"

All three squealed as they admired him from afar, kotoko felt her heart stop and she slowly tried to cover her face with her arms,

"I was doing rounds with him once and i can personally say, even though he's a new doctor, he has more potential than all the other doctors here!"

"Yeah he's so cool!"

"See that guy? Just in case you idiots haven't heard of him, that's irie naoki! Isn't he handsome?!"

Motoki giggled a bit, since he and marina found the situation quite ironic

"Oh… you newbies, don't even try to get his attention! Should you try to go over our heads you know what will happen….."

Kotoko felt a hard lump in her throat, she struggled to swallow it, she closed her eyes in despair as she waited for naoki to pass her. But again… she was of no luck today.

Naoki didn't want to stick around and wait till one of his friends made a move on her, he also assumed that because kotoko was already having lunch there, that the bullying had finally stopped. That was it, he refused to stay put. He needed to make sure people knew that they had some sort of connection, before anyone gets any more ideas to try anything with her.

Naoki makes his way to where she was, oddly enough she was in a strange position as if she was hiding

"Yo"

She slowly turns to him, her eyes wide and she had a weird expression on.

"H-hi...irie-kun"

"Hows work so far?"

He could feel all eyes that followed him, there was a strange and awkward atmosphere that filled the air. "I heard you were assigned to yoshida-san…"

"Umm… yeah"

He smiled "i think you'll make a great pair… oh by the way, i'll wait till your shift is done so we can go to my house together, make sure you don't overwork yourself"

His eyes scanned the room until he saw the reactions of his friends, _bingo_

"No- um…. Uh-" kotoko struggled to find words for a reply

"See you later" he playfully pats her shoulder as he calmly leaves.

As soon as the doctors were out of sight it was as if time that was frozen had finally resumed.

"What was that!?" one of the nurses yelled out

"Why was irie-sensei talking to you!? Before me even!"

"Yeah! And what is this?! You're going to his house!? You know where he lives!?"

"You little newbie… what is your relationship with him!?"

"Tell us!"

 **Authors note:**

 **Yeah i could have kept going, but it's already 5AM and i need to sleep since i have work in the morning! Sorry about the slow updates, i will sincerely try my best to be back on track asap!**

 **Please continue to leave reviews of what you think of each chapter, since your feedback really helps motivate me to write more contents at a faster pace.**

 **I would also like to apologize for the lack of editing and the grammatical errors and misspelled words that made you cringe, if you've read my previous fanfic, your aware that I'm aware with these problems, but i choose to ignore them and post the story once i type it right away.**

 **Reason being is that i have no time to fix these things, if i did then you all would probably be waiting for an eternity, for please, for my sake, bare with me !**

 **Also, i don't know how the hospital system works with employees in japan, so i just decided to go by what we follow through in my country.**

 **And that's about it, please let me know what you thought about this chapter, also dw, i will update much sooner than you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

Kotoko sighed as she sluggishly walked to the break room

She just came back from yoshida-san's room for God knows what nth time it was that day.

It's been a couple of days since the other nurse's found out about how connected she was to naoki. It didn't really take that big of an effort, after doing some digging, they eventually stalked mrs. irie's social media and found countless of pictures of naoki and kotoko together, from the past that is.

She was a family friend, a close one in fact… closer than anyone he had ever gotten with in the hospital. Their envy and jealousy fueled them to torture her even more, but seeing as she was already struggling with yoshida-san, they found it better to let the patient get her way. Alas, kotoko was left with a huge amount of work, and on top of that, she had to deal with the old lady that enjoyed bossing her around.

"Tired?"

Kotoko spun around only to find naoki there. There was a certain warmth in his voice, it made her heart beat fast

"Ahhh yeah…" her eyes scanned his face, he looked quite tired today, kotoko observed.

"Want some coffee?"

"Yeah that would be nice…"

She immediately made 2 cups, placing the mug in front of him. At this point, there was no hiding it anymore, she didn't care if anyone came by and saw them, or even get the wrong idea.

Tired with everything, she just wanted his company and some caffeine, they both looked like they could use it.

"How long is your shift?"

"Till 2AM"

"I'll walk you home"

"What time are you done?"

"Same time" he lied.

"You look like you need rest irie-kun, maybe you should go home early today"

Naoki crossed his arms and leaned back as he looked at her "who's the doctor here between us two?" he proudly pointed out

"I know but you need rest too, ive known you for so long so i know what you look like once you start losing sleep or meals" she sounded genuinely concerned, and he was feeding off of it.

"Do you know what i look like when i'm trying my best for someone?'

"Eh?"

"Nevermind, it's nothing" he got up , this wasn't the right time… or the right place to pour his heart out. As much as he was anticipating to talk to her, he just couldn't seem to find the perfect time to bring it up, telling her while they were at work did not seem worth while he figured, if he can wait a few years enduring everything, he can wait a few days right?

She deserved so much more than just a random confession out of the blue, over 2 cups of coffee in the break room.

"Thanks for the coffee" the placed the empty mug down on a tray.

"Huh? You're so weird irie-kun" she giggled a bit, it was music to his ears.

After that short break, she felt refreshed. Something about being with naoki just made her feel better, he had such a calming atmosphere , it made her feel at ease.

Whenever she's with him, she felt safe. As if everything will always be alright.

These feelings were of course unconscious emotions of hers.

She hummed as she was going through her report for the day, she figured since she had some free time, that going to check up on her patients one by one before she finalized her report would be the best option right now since it was finally slow in the hospital.

She peeked through each room, feeling satisfied that all the patients under her care seemed fine. Finally as she passed by yoshida-san's room , she noticed something odd.

Normally the old lady snored whenever she would sleep/nap.

Kotoko walked closer to take a better look, she assumed this was another trick and refused to fall for it this time

"Ahhh toyo ba-chan! you think i won't be able to tell when you're fake sleeping? Haha! I know you're awake! What do you need to sleep better? Do you want another back massage? Maybe another foot rub?" her tone was cheerful, she was in such high spirits she didn't really mind it this time.

But the patient stayed still and silent

"Oy toyo ba-chan! Don't ignore meeeee! Since when were you shy about stuff like this, honestly"

Kotoko paused, then she hurriedly turned the patient to face her. Something wasn't quite right she thought.

Her eyes widened as her hand felt the patient's forehead "oh no you have a fever! Why didn't you tell me!? You always call me for unnecessary things but never when it counts!"

The old lady closed her eyes shut, "i will never be indebted to you"

"Well too late now! Wait here, i'll call a doctor!"

(after half an hour)

"You're mother isn't doing too well… she has a high fever and- eh? Hello?... wow…" nurse saeki finally put the phone down.

"How was it? Kotoko asked, her eyes full of concerns

"They won't come if it's just a fever"

"Really…"

"They said to call if it gets really bad… i can't believe it ! it's their mother…."

"That's terrible"

"It's not uncommon"

"Not a lot of people want to take care of the elderly, they treat hospitals like senior homes…. They haven't come once since you've come right?"

"You're right…." kotoko frowned

"She gave you a hard time, but maybe she was just lonely….veteran nurses know how to handle her, but you react to everything she says...it was probably fun for her"

The nurse left kotoko alone to ponder upon the thought.

 _Now it all makes sense, she was probably lonely…._ her fists clenched and the passion within her blamed with an aggressive flame. Kotoko ran to quickly catch up to the nurse

"Nurse, can i stay with toyo ba-chan tonight?"

"Don't worry, i've already prepped the night nurse"

"But"

"In any case-"

At this moment, it was as if the head nurse popped out of nowhere.

"Trainee's can't do night shifts, you're too new and you have been working for 12 hours now" the nurse continued to explain

"But-"

"Those are the rules"

"Nurse saeki"

"Ah, nurse hosoi…"

"What did mrs. yoshida's family say?"

"Eh… they're not coming"

"Thats a problem…if only there was someone like a friend we could ask them to stay with her...right?" her sigh was way too exaggerated

"A friend" she continued to sigh as she pretended to look around for something or someone, kotoko stood still, trying to process what they were trying to imply, when she finally managed to understand, and before she could even open her mouth..

"Aihara-san! What are you doing?! You're shift is over ! hurry up and change !" nurse hosoi ordered

"Y-yes ma'am"

"What you do after hours is up to you, just don't let it interfere with your work"

Kotoko's face beamed with a smile

"Yes ! please excuse me!" and with that she happily skipped to grab her things,physically exhausted as she was, kotoko just never seem to run out of energy. Her enthusiastic attitude and willingness to do more sent smiles over nurse hosoi, and nurse saeki's face.

Naoki was looking forward to dropping her home, he sat waiting in the break room as his gaze never left the clock, seconds seemed like minutes, and the 30 min he waited seemed like forever. When it was finally 2AM, naoki walked to the nurse's office, but she wasn't there.

 _Did she forget? I fully just told her a while ago… or maybe she left without me?_

"Ah irie-sensei, you didn't go home yet? Your shift ended 30 minutes ago, go rest" nurse hosoi suggested

"I was waiting for kotoko-san, i were supposed to walk her home... did you by any chance see her?"

"Aihara-san? Oh, maybe she forgot to inform you… but i believe she's staying with mrs. yoshida tonight"

"Ahh i see…. Thank you"

Naoki was about to leave to quickly look for her

"Irie-sensei can i ask you a personal question?"

"Sure" he calmly turned to face her again

"I've been hearing a lot of rumors in the hospital, not that i pry on people's personal lives, but may i ask just to confirm… what is aihara-san to you?

Naoki smiled a bit, the whole situation gave him a feeling of nostalgia, as if they were back in tonan high, people most often misunderstood their relationship and exaggerated stories just to please their own entertainment. The only difference was that this time, it was him who was trying to win her over, and he wasn't afraid one bit of being exposed.

This time around, he was more mature. Naoki knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted it, he no longer denied his love for her, and no longer wanted to use any excuse or lies.

He loved her, he always had and he always will.

Clearing the air was probably a good start to prove his emotions

"She's a very special person, the very reason behind why i'm wearing this white coat"

"Ahh i see" nurse hosoi smiled, she remembered the time when kotoko mentioned that she wanted to be a nurse worthy to assist a doctor who did his internship overseas, it was easy to put the pieces together

-Kotoko's POV-

 _I looked at toyo looked so weak…. How can i be so stupid… i should have tried harder instead of playing games with her…_

 _I take a hold of her hand and held it to encourage her. If only we could swap bodies and i can do all the hard work… no elderly deserves to be alone_

 _Don't worry toyo ba-chan, im here! I may not be as capable as the other nurses but i will do my very best! I won't give up on you… i won't leave your side no matter what…"_

"Yo"

"Ah, irie-kun! Gomen! I totally forgot again…" _i was so shocked i stood up_

"Don't worry about it, nurse hosoi already told me what happened… how is she doing?"

"Not too well…"

"I see…"

 _irie-kun looked really tired…_

-end of kotoko's POV-

-naoki's POV-

 _She looked so worn out, despite a long 12 hour shift, she's going to stay here overnight … and here i thought she was starting to lose confidence._

"If only i can-" she stopped as she sighed, she knew herself that at this point there was nothing she could do.

"You've done everything you can, just trust in her… trust that she will fight with her own strength"

"I guess you're right… but i can't help but feel like i could have done better to take care of her"

She frowned. _see , i was right… she was losing confidence, even though we don't get to work together as often as i want, based on my observations, i can tell that she's been having alot of problems that she won't tell me._

 _I feel so useless, it's taking everything in me to stand still and watch her suffer alone._

 _I can't take it anymore. I pull her into my arms. Her small figure was a perfect fit in my embrace. It didn't take that much strength to pull her in, she was physically weak now and i won't let her get away with making that face in front of me_

"Um… irie-kun?" _she seemed surprised. Baka, how many times do i have to show my feelings to you in order for you to get it?_

"Hang in there kotoko" _i encouraged her, as i stroked her hair softly , purely out of pleasure since it was soft like silk._

 _Surprisingly she did not resist. I guess she finally reached her limit. Her arms reached for my coat, responding to my display of affection._

" _Aihara-san!"_

"Yeah it's that room over there, yoshida-san's"

"Shh! Keep your voices down!"

"I just want to ask her if irie-sensei is actually walking her home! I want to see it with my own two eyes!"

 _I felt kotoko jump, she panicked. These were probably the senior nurses that found pleasure into bullying her. Again i felt bad._

 _But before they could reach the room, i pulled the curtain closed and shoved myself and kotoko in the empty closet just in time_

 _I hovered close to her, the closet was so small i had to lower my head a little because of my height, causing my face to be so close to her, if only we weren't in a patient's room, i would have kissed her right then and there._

 _I could hear her breathing and used my other hand to cover it silent._

 _She nodded nervously._

"Oh she's not here? I thought i heard her saying that she's checking up on mrs. yoshida-san"

"Maybe she already went home, irie sensei isn't in his office either"

"Ugh, that ignorant newbie, she ticks me off"

"Right!?"

 _I can hear them leave but wished they stayed a bit longer so i wouldn't have to move._

 _My eyes adjusted to the darkness as i looked into hers, they were always sparkling, always full of hope._

"Um… irie-kun? I think they're gone now…"

Her eyes locked with mine as she blushed and then her gaze moved to focus on my stethoscope, _she was avoiding my stare._

 _Staying in the same position, i put my stethoscope on as she stayed still, i can tell she was nervous now, but i wanted to test her limits._

"Irie-kun?"

 _I placed the diaphragm on her chest, as if i was examining a patient's heart, i wanted to check her heartbeat. It was beating rapidly, it made mine beat fast as well._

"This heart…"

"Eh?"

"Is it beating for me?"

She blushed even more as she finally broke free from me and out the closet.

 _Why is she avoiding the subject…. It's getting on my nerves how she's pretending as if she doesn't know what i'm talking about._

 _Nevertheless, i got out of the closet and sighed. There's no point in pushing her when she's refusing me, especially now in this place, oh well… i'll try again next time, and the next,and the next… until she finally accepts my feelings._

"Fine, i won't talking about it if you're not ready...I'll see you soon"

 _And with that, i left her in an awkward atmosphere. I couldn't help but smile a bit, the thought of her heartbeat racing for me was enough to drive me crazy for the night._


	9. Chapter 9

Noriko watched the screen, the horrified look on her face can make one misunderstand that maybe she was watching a scary movie.

But she wasn't.

Yuki laid comfortably on the couch but the headline caught his attention

His eyes turned to face the television, his mother was watching the news.

"This is the second female body we found in 3 weeks, investigators are trying their best to catch the culprit, but as of now there is no other further information,

We strongly encourage you and your families to be extra careful. Especially at such odd hours. His targets seem to have the same profile. Young female in her twenties, and the crime scene's both happened to be in dark alleys in the downtown area, please make sure we all keep each other safe, thank you"

"Oh my goodness, this is insane" noriko stated

"Yeah, it's unlikely for it just to be a murder scene… usually if it's a young female, there would be some kind of intention behind the killing" yuki pointed out

"Tadaima"

The two both jumped as the front door opened and closed.

"Ahh onii-chan! You're home early!"

"Yeah, i only had a few patients today, i have to work on a paper though so don't worry about food, i ate"

"Did you listen to the news? There's a killer roaming around tokyo!" noriko said as she handed her son his indoor shoes.

"Ah that, yeah i heard on the radio"

"Don't you think we should convince kotoko to move back?! She's not safe living by herself"

"Hmm… maybe you should try to convince her, she won't listen to me"

"Why not!? You don't walk her everyday! I don't like it!" 

"Mom, as much as i agree with you, it's out of our hands…. She's an adult now, she's not a kid anymore"

"Eh?" yuki raised his brow

"She's different from before…. She won't listen to you, or me"

-The next day-

Kotoko pushed the wheelchair with a big grin on her face, the bright sun was giving her so much energy that she can't help but smile and be thankful

"Oy stop day dreaming! You're gonna end up killing me!"

"Eh?" ah! Gomenasai toyo ba-chan! I was just counting my blessings!"

"Hehhh? What a weird girl"

Kotoko giggled , "ahh! But i'm just so glad you're getting better and better each day!"

"Oh that!? Ha! A little fever won't kill me, you're just a pathetic nurse that's why i got sick"

"Ah i know i know! But i'm just so happy you're finally back to normal ! now we can even go outside and enjoy the fresh air !" kotoko chirped happily, by now she was used to her negative comments, after all… she had her fair share of insults at the irie household, this was basically nothing to her.

"Say…. since you're recovering so fast, i want to buy you a present! Kind of like… a 'good job on recovering!' kind of gesture! What kind of flowers do you like?"

The old lady viciously hit her hand "flowers!? Am i dead already!?"

"Ehhh? No no no! Um… i'll think of something else… ummm.. Chocolates?!"

"Do you want me to get diabetes? Wow, how inconsiderate!"

"No no no! Umm…." she sighs in frustration

"Then tell me what you want then! Come on! Tell me and i'll buy it !"

"Hmmmm… really? Are you up for the challenge? I bet you won't be able to do it" mrs. yoshida placed her hand on her chin

"Weeeeell, if you put it that wayyyy"

An evil smirk crossed her face as she turned to look at a innocent kotoko.

"EH!? You want pictures of irie-kun!?"

"Yeah! I overheard the other nurses, they were gossiping about the two of you! So it should be easy right? You have an advantage"

"But toyo ba-chan! Were not in that kind of relationship! I don't want to ask for his picture!"

"Of course you won't! Just take it secretly!"

Kotoko pouted as she fumbled around with her skirt.

"See i knew it, ahhh i feel so disappointed, after promising me that you'll get me anything i want… how typical of you to fail"

Kotoko felt offended, _i guess taking a stolen photo shouldn't be that hard right?_

That day, kotoko had a hard time focusing on her daily tasks, she wanted to keep her word and give mrs. yoshida her well deserved present. _But how?_ She wondered

"Oy watch it!"

Kotoko felt a hand grab her waist, a few seconds passed and she finally snapped back to reality.

Her eyes looked up to see who her savior was.

Whoever it was, saved her from almost falling off the stairs.

But of course, it was none other than him.

Naoki's hair was ruffled loosely, he looked effortlessly handsome as always.

The white coat suited him, and his touch was as gentle as always.

Kotoko could feel her heart beating fast, he was so close to her, way too close. Her heart pounding fast.

She can hear it beating so fast, she was afraid it might jump out of her chest.

"You're always spacing out, are you eating okay?" he looked worried

"I'm fine, just thinking" she broke eye contact, her cheeks blushing uncontrollably.

"About?"

 _You…_

"Um no one"

"Ha? You're thinking about no one?"

"I meant nothing! It's nothing!" she waved both hands as she pushed him away

He sighed, "you're so weird, just be careful… i know you're clumsy but don't die because of it"

"Right…ah! Tonight i'm coming to visit for dinner, i'll wait for you to finish okay? Let's go together"

Naoki was caught off guard, usually it was him who would remember but she beat him to it this time.

"Sure, i'll be waiting then…"

 _Yosh! This is my chance! Maybe i can get a good shot of him when he's relaxed at home, that's right! At least there, no one will be able to catch me and i'l be able to get a good photo without anyone knowing!_

A few hours later after her shift, kotoko changed into her regular clothes. She packed them that morning knowing that she was going to visit the house.

She wore a plain peach sweater and a long white skirt that ended just an inch under her ankles.

Her hair was in a half pony tail , it was slightly wavy because of her low bun hairstyle from the morning.

Unconsciously, she was fixing herself in the mirror, not aware of how much effort she was putting into her image, not aware of her real goal, she just hummed happily as she fixed her hair. Excited to visit the house, excited to see her extended family, and excited to spend time with irie-kun?

 _Ah no no no! I'm not excited about thatttttttt! Yeah, i'm just excited to see everyone else, yeah that's it!_ Kotoko continued to justify her actions.

When they finally arrived, the dining table was full of dishes, both cooked by her dad and noriko.

Kotoko ate happily as they talked.

Naoki couldn't help but stare at kotoko, for some reason, she seemed happier than usual… then again, that's just typical kotoko, she would make such a fuss about things.

She often exaggerated every small detail, and no matter how much she's matured, she still remained as silly as ever. Looking at her reminded him of the early shift he had tommorow, he figured...since his father was bringing her home, and she had a shift tomorrow as well, that it was probably best that he'd go to sleep early.

Afterall, as much as he wanted to spend one on one time with her, his mother would either be spying on them taking pictures from afar, or she would just refuse to leave, unlike him, she doesn't see kotoko as much… he sighed.

 _I guess this time i'll let okaa-san borrow her then…_

Naoki got up and thanks everyone for the meal.

"Ah why so early onii-chan?"

"I have an early shift tomorrow, i can't afford to wake up late" naoki replied, just like that he was already at the stairs.

 _Seriously, i need to catch her at the right time so i can ask her to go somewhere with me… maybe then i can finally tell her. Ah this is so troublesome…._

"Onii-chan has been working nonstop lately… ne kotoko-chan? Why don't the two of you go on a date sometime just to de-stress?"

Kotoko blushed, "okaa-san!... it's not like that, were not dating or anything"

"Ehhhh but you guys go eat dinner sometimes! And he even walks you home often! I'm pretty sure that's basically the same thing" noriko insisted

"That's right kotoko-san, it's so obvious to everyone that you two love each other! Stop denying it already, you don't have to be so shy…" shigeki teased

"Plus, you're such a bad liar… stop pretending already" yuki joined in

After all the talking, the dining room was finally quiet.

Noriko was drinking as they had dinner, she was so drunk she fell asleep on the sofa.

Yuki went to bed early since he had class the next day.

And the two dad's were so tired, they both fell asleep on the matching arm chairs while trying to watch tv.

Kotoko took on the responsibility of cleaning up.

When she was done, she looked at the clock

 _Woah, it's already 1;00 AM?! Wow we talked for a while huh… though i'm kind of sad irie-kun left early… wait. EHHHHHHHHHH!?_

 _I totally forgot my game plan! The photo! Oh my! This was the perfect plan but i got so caught up with dinner that i forgot! Also, he went to sleep early!_ She huffed, disappointed.

Then she paused , a light bulb lit up and an idea popped into her sleep deprived head.

 _Wait, what am i saying… i'm still here! He's asleep so… it would be easier to take his photo while he's sleeping right? YEAH THAT'S RIGHT ! YOSHHHHHHHHHH_

She clenched her fists up in the air, she could feel the rush of energy empowering her body.

Afterall, she was aihara kotoko… she will do whatever it takes whenever she sets her goals.

After hyping herself up, she quietly takes her phone from her purse, she tiptoes to the staircase and tries her utmost best not to make a noise to wake anyone.

After successfully reaching the second floor, she heads to naoki's room.

Slowly turning the knob as lightly as she can, she holds her breath , hoping he wouldn't be awake…. _Yes! Lights off… that means he's asleep…_

Kotoko carefully closes the door then makes her way on his bedside.

 _Ahhhhh irie-kuuuun! He looks so cool, even when he's sleeping_ she admired him as she smiled.

Her hands together towards her chest.

"Toyo ba-chan will be so happy when she gets her picture! Then she'll say 'kotoko, you're the best nurse ever! Arigatou!' haha!" she giggles as she whispers to herself.

Kotoko then holds her phone to take the picture. But a part of his hair was covering his eyebrow, she stops and reaches to fix it.

Then, out of nowhere, naoki's hand grips unto her wrist.

As soon as she blinked, she realized that he was now wide awake

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

He sounded angry. Kotoko felt a wave of deja vu.

"ah irie-kun! I didn't know you were awake! Hehehe… gomenasai… i was just looking for something, oh! I found it, yeahhh i was just going to borrow this!" with her free hand, she reached for one of his books

"Yeah, sorry about that, i didn't want to wake you up so i just came on my own.."

She was trying to pull away from him but his grip was too tight. Naoki acted fast, he dragged her down his bed then towered over her. His hands both pinning her down.

Kotoko helplessly panicked, but was frozen in shock with his aggressive behavior. It was so out of character. _what was he doing? Why was he so pissed off about…_

"Ehh!? Irie-kun? What are you doing?"

"What are YOU doing? Don't you know…you're not supposed to enter a man's room like that, or he might get the wrong idea and try something"

"Umm.. what are you saying? It's not like that… afterall… you and i are just…"

"Just?"

"Why are you running away from me? Can't you see how hard i'm trying?"

"Trying?"

"Should i show you? What i wanted to do when we were in the closet?"

"Ehhh? Closet?"

"Yeah, what men and women do when they are all alone.."

"Al-… alone?!" her eyes widened, naoki found it funny how much of an open book she was, it was clear as day that she was thinking of 'other things'... he wanted to tease her even more.

But first, he needed to show her, show her just how much he loves her with one simple kiss.

He was leaning in close, and for a second there, he felt her movement stop

"KOTOKO-CHAN? Where are you? … sorry i fell asleep, come now! I'll drive you home…" a voice yelled from the kitchen.

The two both froze.

"Kotoko-channnnnn are you in here?"

Shigeki opened the door to naoki's room only to find the two sitting on the floor as they pretended to read. He was so sleepy he did not notice how red their faces were.

"Why are you two reading at 1 in the morning? Seriously, people in the medical field are so career driven… anyway, let's go kotoko! I'll drive you home since naoki has work in the morning"

"Um.. okay…"

Kotoko kept her head down at all costs, she refused to give into naoki's stares.

If looks could kill, she would be dead right now.

 _What was that just now?_

When they finally left, naoki laid flat on his cold bed, he was nowhere near sleepy.

He felt like he wanted to hit his head on the wall. _Ahhh i messed up, this is all her fault… i'm at my limit already._

This was all kotoko's power of course. There was just something about her that drove him crazy. Everytime she steps in the picture he always loses his cool, it's amazing how he keeps her on his toes each time.

He chuckled a bit, memories flashed before him as he thought about something that happend in the past. Something kinnosuke had said years ago.

" _You never know when a genius could turn into a beast"_

 **Authors note;**

 **Hey guys ! sorry for the slow updates, but i promise you i'm trying my best to write as much as i can ! also, sorry about the errors. When i re-read the chapters (before i sleep) i find myself cringing at the amount of errors i make, its not even funny anymore.**

 **If any of you forgot, i write these chapters mostly when i'm about to go to sleep, at 4AM in the morning, that is why even though i can speak decent english, i still struggle to type everything correctly, sorry about that! Blame my sleep deprived brain for all those mistakes LOL**

 **Also, it's almost hereeeee ! i have a feeling the two will finally make it official! *wink wink* does anyone have any guesses how things will eventually end up? I wonder if someone can guess right….**

 **Guest- yeah i would say that she became a nurse for both reasons! I liked how dedicated she was towards naoki, so i kept the original plot, but as of helping the sick (like hirosaki), i wanted to add that too, i find that it gives her character more of a weight/backstory besides being head over heels over naoki. In the live action she was really passionate about her patients so i used that as inspiration , i hope it makes sense and il try my best not to make it as confusing next time**

 **Displacedtexan- same ! i was fangirling inside actually.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Can you remind me why i'm here again?"

"Coz! If we get caught then he won't be mad, you can just bat your cutesy puppy eyes and he will be okay with us stalking him" kikyo explained

Kotoko sighed as she rolled her eyes

"There! There he is!" nurse ami and kikyo both squealed as they eyed the doctor.

"Ahhh he's so dreamy! I'd kill to live in the same house as him"

"Right?"

"Ouch stop pushing! Wait, who's that?"

"She looks pretty… oy! Kotoko, do you know her? Aunt maybe?"

"Huh?" kotoko jolted up

"That lady over there! She's making a move on your boyfriend!" kikyo started shaking kotoko's shoulders vigorously as if she had no life in her.

she had short hair, business casual attire , navy matching blazer and pencil skirt with long luscious legs, 3 inch pointy heels and voluminous short flowy hair.

Her smile was contagious, naoki graced her a grin as she giggled a bit.

The 3 nurse's had their jaws down the floor. It was rare to see naoki smile. Of course they have seen it before, but this seemed so… natural

Then out of nowhere, a miniature version of the mysterious lady came running down to the pair. 'Accidentally' making the lady bump into naoki, he catches her, and a blush runs through her cheeks , the 3 shriek in horror.

They continue to eavesdrop as the conversation went on.

"Oh my god kotoko, i've never seen him be so…"

"Again guys, there is absolutely nothing going on between us"

Kotoko huffed. This was frustrating, it was like she could never repeat the phrase anymore than enough. The two looked at each other. It was so easy to tell how bad of a liar she was.

"So… 5pm at the usual spot?"

"Yes of course. Thank you so much"

The cafeteria was busy. But kotoko thanked the Gods that the group of seniors who often bullied her weren't present. Taking advantage of the moment, she was finally eating with her fellow nurses. Her tray consisted of carves and cake. She has had 2 full servings of rice and was now on her 3rd, the hospital was less busy today so she had an hour gap before assisting a surgery, but today in particular… she wasn't the tiniest bit happy about her extended lunch break.

"Kotoko, don't you think you should chew more?"

Marina eyeballed her. Her eyes said judgement. "Kotoko, you're gonna choke.. Ugh, what is wrong with her this time?"

Nurse Ami slurped on her juice box as if it was a cocktail. "She saw a fine lady flirting with her man, it looks bad"

"Ohhh i see… i do that sometimes. Stress eating, it's not good you know…" marina scolded her

Kotoko was ignoring the conversation. She continued to eat without grace or manners.

At this point, she was tired of explaining.

"Yo"

' _Great. Just the person'_ she thought

Naoki placed his tray beside hers. He drags a seat and scoots over close, he adjusts his tie and starts to eat his lunch quietly. As if they did this on a daily.

The 3 nurses looked at each other and giggled subtly.

"Sorry to intrude on your conversation. But i wanted to have lunch with nurse aihara"

He looked around the table.

Confused eyes and raised eyebrows were plastered on their faces.

"Am i not welcomed?" he finally asks

This was his polite way of asking nicely.

"No no no! Of course you are irie-sensei !" marina exclaimed

"You can have lunch with us anytime, i mean… any friend of kotoko is a friend of ours!"

"Friend… right" naoki clarified.

Naoki mentally checked with himself.

Nobody really knew that they were really that close. And kotoko avoided the attention since naoki was practically the superstar of the hospital.

Avoiding him was easy because their shifts barely overlapped.

But she did get unlucky sometimes. And when she did, she stayed away from him.

This was her way of putting up walls, and naoki understood that, the amount of pain he caused her was a price he had to pay.

"Oh i didn't mean it that way…. Well..." marina tried to explain.

Kotoko finally looked up. Mouthful of cake.

"Can we ask the two of you… just to clear the air from all the fake gossip… are you really JUST friends?" nurse ami finally asked. She was quite blunt and straightforward it shocked kotoko

Kotoko had a look of panic in her eyes, she failed to warn them. Before she could even swallow what was in her mouth , naoki spoke

"That question only depends on who you're asking" he said blankly.

"I'm done, i'll see you guys around"

Filling her tray with all the dishes she used. Kotoko quickly cleaned up after her meal and got out of there. Leaving naoki staring blankly at the cafeteria floor.

' _That idiot._

 _Who does he think he is? He does all those things then goes around flirting with older women…_

 _It's so annoying. He's still as conceited and self centered after all these years!'_

Kotoko talked to herself the whole way through till the nurse's room.

She figured since she didn't need an extended break, that she would go around and visit her patients. A habit she often made sure to do as much as she can, it somehow relaxed her.

Meanwhile in the cafeteria, naoki stayed at the table full of nurses. He continued to eat as he finally gave them a brief description of his relationship, history and current status with kotoko.

He wanted to clarify that he was more than a colleague, and that she was more than just a close family friend. He bluntly , with no emotion in his words, told them how he's planning to win her back no matter how many rejections he gets.

The longer his story went, the more sighs he got from the nurses, they all wooed over their never ending love story and how much he loved her.

"That kotoko….. how ungrateful. If i were her i would forgive you right away!"

Marina scoffed

"Right? You know i never knew she was so popular with men.."

"I kind of see it, a nurse and a doctor… what a romantic lovestory" ami envisioned the couple happily getting married.

"She's being difficult. But it's mostly my fault. I deserve that… so now i'm hoping to finally set things right"

"Don't worry irie sensei! We support you! If you really love her… don't give her up!"

"Who said anything about giving up" he finally stood up to grab his tray. He was aware that lunch break for him was just about done.

"But anyway. Thank you, im happy she has great friends"

Naoki left the table with nothing but kotoko still flooding his mind. He has yet to have proper alone time with her. It was getting harder and harder. It was very discouraging, but he wasn't even near giving up, there had to be a way.

Kotoko was walking in the hallways of the hospital when a small figure bumps into her.

She turns around and finds the same girl from earlier. The one naoki was speaking to with the older lady. She assumed this was probably her daughter, or her little sister.

"Ah gomen!" the child bowed.

Nami wore a pink sweater with blue light washed denim jeans.

Her hair was short like her mother's. For some reason, she reminded kotoko of a younger version of a female yuki. The accident caused her juice box to fall and spill.

The girl looked sad but tried to hide it.

"Oh it's okay! It was my fault… i wasn't looking"

Kotoko's gaze landed on the juicebox.

She picked it up and tossed it by the near by trash can

"Don't worry! I'll get you a new one!"

"Really?" the little girl's face lit up

"yeah! So cheer up okay?" kotoko patted the girls head in a motherly way. A gentle smile spread across her face. She was so fond of children.

Kotoko and nami walked to a nearby vending machine.

And kotoko bought a juice box and a can of coffee.

She handed it to the girl with a happy smile.

"Here, the juicebox is for you, and the can of coffee is for your mother"

"Really? Thank you so much! You're a very kind nurse"

"Don't worry about it ! you apologized so it was only right that i bought you a replacement"

"Nurses are really amazing huh? One day, when i grow up… i want to be a nurse just like you !"

"Really? Your so young yet so determined! Thats awesome! You'll definitely become a great nurse someday! You have my support" kotoko encouraged her, she had her passionate face on, and her fists were clenched together as well.

"Thank you ! i better get going now… my mom might get worried"

"Yes of course ! don't run in the hallways now okay? You don't wanna repeat the same accident"

Nami nodded with a grin. She waved goodbye to kotoko who did the same as well.

Little did she know, their paths would cross again very soon.

When the day finally ended, the 4 nurses followed naoki out the hospital once his shift ended.

Lucky for them, they ended only 30 minutes early than he did.

Kotoko refused to go but again was dragged by her friends.

Though she did a decent job at hiding her curiosity, they didn't really give her any room to decline.

Naoki sat on a park bench.

It was facing a play area. The park was only a 5 minute walk from the hospital, the whole walk there, the 4 nurses wore disguises and walked a good distance behind naoki.

He of course knew that he was being followed. But ignored it.

Knowing kotoko, this was one thing she always used to do with his mother.

But he didn't really exactly know why he was being followed, he just liked every attention kotoko had shed over him, it was thrilling, and quite entertaining from his perspective hence, he didn't mind the unwelcomed presence lurking over the bushes only a few feet behind him.

The lady from earlier finally showed up with the little girl nami.

Nami made several hints about how her mother would put in efforts to look good whenever she would meet with naoki.

With every fact that she stated, the nurses grew even more and more infuriated.

Kotoko refused to say a word, she was trying to act like she didn't care.

"I'm going to go play, so you two can have some alone time" nami winked, she playfully slipped away leaving the two adults alone in the bench.

The mother blushed again and attempted to catch her daughter but failed.

Naoki chuckled a bit since he knew that the spies behind him were probably on edge.

Kotoko crossed her arms

"Enough, i'm going home"

"But kotoko! We're finally getting to the good part! Maybe we can finally find out what their relationship is !"

Marina tried to drag her down the bushes but kotoko stood up and shrugged of her arm.

She was unaware with how jealous and angry she was.

"No, you guys have fun, i'm leaving"

Marina quickly hid once she saw the little girl. Leaving kotoko exposed as they bump into each other once again.

"Ah gomen!"

Kotoko panicked but tried to remain calm and discreet

"Oh it's you again, we really should stop meeting like this"

" its you! What are you doing here miss nurse?"

"Ohh me ? i was just passing by, im on my way home since my shift ended already. Now run along now… i have to get home-"

"Okaasan look! It's the nurse i told you about! The pretty and kind one that i met!" nami clung unto kotoko's arm. She dragged her to the two by the bench

"Um.. no it's okay. I just really need to go home now"

"Eh? Nami-chan, stop bothering other people" her mother scolded her. Standing from the bench and walking towards the two

"But oka-saaan! I really want you to meet her! I want her to be my nurse oh please?"

Before kotoko could run away. Naoki walked towards the scene and spots them.

" leaving so soon kotoko?"

"What does that mean? Have you known all this time? Um…"

"Wait, you know irie-sensei?" nami looked at the two, confused.

"We work together, of course !" kotoko was trying to pull away from nami's strong grip. She let out a nervous laugh. Her mind was trying to come up with a good plan to escape

"So you're the nurse my daughter was talking about, it's nice to finally meet you" the lady bowed

"The pleasure is mine, well! I better go now then, it's getting late!"

"Do you want to wait a bit with nami-chan? I'll walk you home"

Kotoko's eyes widened. Just how blunt can naoki be now? He was always quiet, somehow nowadays… he was more… straightforward.

"Huh? Could it be.. That you two are? No no no… impossible"

"Dating?" the mother finally asked.

"Huh?! No no ! you've got it all wrong… were just family friends" again, laughing nervously. She begged naoki with her eyes to keep his mouth shut.

"That's her. The girl i love" naoki stated. He said it so normally as if he was talking about the weather. The 3 ladies who were watching everything from the bushes held in their screams.

Nami and her mother had surprise looks on their faces.

"Thats… thats such a lie. You're supposed to be my mom's soul mate" her eyes were filled with pain and disappointment.

"Nami-chan, i already told you right? I have someone i love, please don't me upset"

He bends down to her level and places his hand on her head gently.

"I can't believe you said that! Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut!" kotoko stated. She was talking in such an animated way. Of course she was upset

"I can't lie to my patients. It's not like denying it will do me any good… look where it got us"

Naoki shifted a little as he took his tie off

On their walk to kotoko's place, just when they were only a few minutes close, it started to pour out of nowhere. They both ran to the apartment complex. But by the time they reached it, the two were already soaking wet. As a result, kotoko finally invited him inside to dry off a little.

"Good thing it didn't't rain when we were in the park. That would have been bad"

Before kotoko could reply, thunder struck. She jumped in shock

She rushed to turn on the small tv to check the news.

"Due to the disastrous weather, we will be stopping all the trains early for tonight, please stay indoors , this will be one of the most terrible storms of the year. We advice that you all refrain from walking, or even stepping outdoors"

Kotoko's jaw dropped open , naoki's eyes moved from the screen to her shocked facial expression.

"Don't worry, i'll just walk home"

"In this weather? Absolutely not"

"What choice do i have, it's not like you'll let me stay over"

Kotoko fell silent. She was trying to think of a way out of this situation, the walk from her place would probably take at least an hour. It was too much of a risk.

"See? Don't worry about it… i'm going then" naoki stood and grabbed his blazer from the chair, making his way to the door

"No wait !" she grabbed his arm

Her face turned red as she stammered on her words

"Just stay… i don't really mind" she mumbled.

Naoki smiled slightly with a grateful expression "thank you kotoko"

"I'l grab you a towel, your hair is still wet...i'll also grab you a change of clothes"

Naoki raised his brow, _'she wants me to wear her clothes?'_

A couple minutes passed and she hands him a set of clothes. It was just a plain white shirt and some sweat pants along with a towel.

' _Why does she have men's clothes… could it be…'_

"Those are my dad's since he sleeps over sometimes. I hope they fit okay on you. I also got the bath ready so you go first since i have to make dinner, i will wash up later"

Kotoko heads to the kitchen as naoki sighs a breath of relief.

She gets to work with making dinner as naoki takes his bath. The pink carpets on her bathroom floor sent a smile crawling on his lips, it reminded him of when she first moved into their house years ago. The nostalgic feeling brought back sweet memories he found himself thinking about while he showered.

When he was done, he changed into the clothes she lent him and walked to go check up on her.

As naoki headed for the kitchen, his eyes scanned her apartment.

It looked really small. It was a studio apartment so the kitchen, living room and bedroom was all squished into one.

The desk beside her bed was full of paperwork and piles of anatomy and biology books.

A picture of her and hirosaki was framed by her bedside.

And her laundry basket was at its fullest capacity.

He looked over what she was doing, she was making noodles and was now setting up on the small dining table for two.

They said their blessings and dug in without any other words.

Naoki took his first bite. She eyes him for a reaction

"Your cooking really has improved"

"Thanks… my baking is still bad though" she admitted

"Baby steps… surely you'll get better with time. It's not like i'm fond of sweets anyway"

She then realized what he just said. "It's not like i'l bake for you or anything" she tried to sound irritated then a memory crept its way into her thoughts. A smile appeared and her bitterness melted away.

"Remember that valentines chocolate i made for you before?" she giggled a bit.

It was Music to his ears.

"How can i forget, They tasted so horrible i thought i was going to die"

"Hehe… gomen" she beamed at him happily.

AN

I'm so so sorry for making you guys wait, real life has just been so tough lately, i promise i'l try my best to keep updating at a better speed.

Please be patient with me. I feel like i have been working on this story for so long and it really means alot to me, so i don't want to just throw in words here and there. I put in a lot of effort into my chapters and this is why they take forever to write. Though i don't edit them, i'm very precise about each detail so please bear with me. I won't abandon this story so don't worry too much if i haven't updated in awhile, just been busy.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed that, feel free to leave a nice comment of your thoughts :)


	11. Chapter 11

"The mother and daughter are named shiina"

Naoki started his explanation, he figured knowing kotoko and her friends, they might be misunderstanding the whole situation.

"The daughter, nami… she's my patient"

"B-but… she seems so healthy"

"It might seem that way now but, she has congenital heart disease. She's already had strokes in the past"

"Her heart…"

"She had a surgery done when she was only five, but the heart is a complex organ.. She needs another surgery now that she's a bit older, and the doctors and i think that now is the best time to do that… but, nami-chan lost her father just a year ago, so she's scared that the surgery might take her life as well…. Her mother is worried too, that's why i was trying to advise them"

"Ah, i see, sorry for disturbing your meeting...i don't think my friends knew that it was work related"

A corner of his lips turned into a curve. Finding it adorable how she was apologizing in behalf of her silly friends

"That's fine. Thank you for letting me stay. I guess we can call it even then?"

"Yeah i guess.." she placed her chopsticks down and started to clean up

"I'll do it, go wash up. You haven't even changed yet"

"Eh? Oh, i didn't even realize" she giggled.

"Idiot, you're still in your uniform. Go, i'll take care of this" he took the bowls away from her hands.

"Okay" she obediently nodded. "Thank you"

Kotoko headed to grab some clothes for herself.

She quickly disappeared into the bathroom and as soon as naoki heard the shower running, he turned on the faucet as well and started to wash the dishes.

Having kitchen experience, he cleaned up fast, despite his tiredness.

After leaving the counters spotless, he walked to where her bookshelf was and examined its contents.

 _She's been studying alot, it's so easy to tell._

His eyes scans the desk beside it, you can't even spot the table top.

It was filled with books and papers.

Yes, kotoko wasn't academically gifted. Her memory wasn't one of the best either, and she always lacked the knowledge of the fundamentals of any trade.

But she was extremely hard working, dedicated, and will stop at nothing to reach her goal.

He admired how she was still constantly studying for the sake of all her patients.

It was truly amazing how much effort she put into her work.

There were bookmarks on alot of the pages.

Bright strokes of highlights on most pages, and an overwhelming pile of sticky notes on her board.

He also noticed while he cleaned up a while ago,

She had no fresh ingredients in her fridge, probably had no time to go grocery shopping.

He did catch a glimpse of her garbage bin by the kitchen counter.

Packs of empty ramen cups. That was probably what she ate all day.

Despite her father being a chef.

Coming to the house or her father's restaurant was probably the only times she ate decent food.

Her apartment wasn't too dirty.

It was just easy for naoki to come to an understanding that she struggled to have a healthy balance, being in the medical field, their hours get crazy and out of hand.

A gut feeling was bothering him.

' _Why can't she just move back'_

There was a strong urge inside him, he felt the need, he craved for it. He wanted to 'take care of her' but then again, he realized that he was in no place to tell her how to live her life.

All he could do was sit and watch painfully.

 _If only he was here, i wonder what he would say…_

His thoughts got interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening up.

"Ahhh that was nice" she was trying to dry her hair with a towel.

Kotoko wore her green flannel pajama set.

She sat on the floor next to naoki, who was now pretending to examine her book shelf

He did not dare look at her, fearing that he might stare and blush at the same time.

"Ehhh sorry, i haven't organized them yet"

She unconsciously scooted closer.

"Remember this ?"

She pulled out one of the anatomy books that naoki missed.

Right when she took it out of the shelf, he instantly recognized it

"Why do you have that?"

She giggled. "I stole it from you, when i left"

He raised a brow.

"When you threw them out to hide your dream from your parents...i thought.. 'What a waste' so i kept them, wanna see what's inside?"

"I already read all the content of that book, it's a waste to re-read it"

"Yeah, i guess you're right" she smiled. But her smile was way too big for it to mean nothing. Curiosity got the best of him and he held out his hand

"Let me see it then"

"No, you said you already read it" kotoko playfully pulled away

"Give it now, it IS mine after all"

"WAS" she emphasized. "Past tense"

"I see your english has improved" he tries to pry it off her grip

Kotoko tried to make an angry face while holding in her laugh and pulling away

"no , you said you didn't want to"

Finally he managed to snatch it. He opened the book to a random page.

It was a drawing of a person

"Ah i see, so you got bored and made it into a sketch book"

"No silly! Flip it!"

He looked at her, confused. She then started to flip the pages of the book. And saw the simple animation through the pages of the thick book.

It was a short illustration of a boy that wore a coat, once it was on him, he flew across the city to help a small girl, he then used his 'super stethoscope' to heal her, and all the towns people praised him.

It was a simple story, and the drawings were childish. But it brought a smile on his face

"Is that-"

"You"

"Me?"

"When you told me that night, that you wanted to be a doctor….i was happy for you. I was happy you had a dream you wanted to follow… the more i thought about it, the more it made sense…'it suits him' i thought, your amazing and capable of anything, so i think it's quite admirable that you want to use that smart brain of yours to help people in need. I kind of got inspired"

Naoki sat there dumbfounded, he was in awe of how much faith she had in his abilities.

Even back then, she saw something in him that he didn't see in himself.

She believed in his abilities when he didn't value them.

It was remarkable, how much she supported him, and helped him become the doctor he is today.

"Arigatou kotoko"

"Eh?"

"I never really said it, but thank you for supporting my dream, when nobody else did… even when i myself gave up on my own dream… you fought for it when i couldn't, when everybody was against it"

He sighed as he grabbed the towel to help her dry her hair

"I guess i'm pretty happy that you were the person i told, you were always on my side, no matter what happened"

She smiled broadly at him, accepting the affection he showed her.

"You know i'll always be on your side irie-kun"


	12. Chapter 12 'telling mother'

The next day naoki awoke to the relaxing aroma of coffee.

She hummed in a minimum, almost a whisper. A familiar tune he recognized.

Naoki watched from the bed as kotoko happily cooked.

The sight brought a warm feeling inside. This was something he would be happy to wake up to each morning.

That night, kotoko insisted that he slept on the bed while she slept on the couch.

There was no point in arguing with her knowing how stubborn she was.

Besides, he knew his place. It was already too much that she had to take him in for the night, so he had no right to complain on how she wanted things to be done.

"Oh, i didn't notice you were awake"

"Sorry, you just looked so happy i didn't want to disrupt you" he got up and resisted the urge to hug her. In that moment, he thought he was dreaming.

Kotoko hurried to the cupboard to grab a mug as naoki started to crack the eggs by the bowls.

"Let me do the cooking, it's the least i can do to thank you"

"No that's okay… you did the same for me back then" she was referring to the incident years ago when yuki got sick and they stayed in his apartment.

The memory made him feel nostalgic….'now the tables have turned' he finally realized.

The next day, both kotoko and naoki were working similar hours.

She continued on her regular routine and naoki did with his as well.

Kotoko was then called by the head nurse and was instructed to go to a specific room to meet her new patient.

According to the head nurse, this was a 'special request'

And that she needed to be in her best behaviour because the patient specifically wanted kotoko as her nurse starting today, since she will be admitted to the hospital for a possible surgery.

She skipped happily, proud that someone finally was seeing how much effort she put into her work, she smiled to herself but then bumps into someone and lands on the floor.

"Kotoko?"

"Eh? Irie-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that, i'm here to check my patient"

"Huh?"

"Kotoko-chan ! over here!" the little girl waved.

"Nami-chan? You're my patient?

Naoki eyes her , questioning why she did not know who she was attending to.

"Didn't you look at the report?"

"Oh, i forgot, i was so happy someone requested for me, i came here as soon as i can"

Kotoko hurriedly examined the papers on her clipboard.

"I wanted you to be my nurse kotoko-chan! I know staying in the hospital can get boring so i hope we can get along!"

"Nami-chan your so cute! Don't worry, irie-kun and i will do everything in our power to help you! Your lucky he's your doctor! He's like superman !"

"Superman?" nami asked

"Yeah! He has an IQ of 200! When we were in highschool, he was always the #1 on the top 100 list, he even managed a company for while without going to business school, you know the game tennis warrior? irie-kun made that!"

"Oy, you talk too much" naoki scolded her

"Really? Thats amazing!"

"Yeah! So don't worry nami-chan! You're in good hands ! FIGHTOU!" kotoko encouraged the patient as she threw fist in the air.

Nami smiled like she never did in weeks, naoki observed how such a small encouragement from kotoko was enough to fire her up. He knew instantly that having her as nami's nurse was a great decision.

Everyday he got up from bed with a smile on his face.

He looked into the mirror while he brushed his teeth, the bed hair was visually bothering him.

Still having the brush in his mouth, he fiddled with his hair a little, moving strands of it on the side for a more 'well put together look'

After brushing his teeth, he glanced at his reflection once again and kissed his teeth.

Naoki ruffled his hair back to messy

' _No, i look desperate, i should just keep it this way… she fell for the young naoki, when i wasn't that self conscious about myself, yeah. This should do'_

Satisfied with his natural self, he went downstairs to have breakfast.

Yuki and his mother were both sitting on the dining table at their usual places.

"Ohayo"

The two looked up. He was usually grumpy during mornings and most of the time remained silent whenever he came for breakfast. It was always their mother or yuki who would greet him 'good morning' first.

"O-ohayo onii-chan, you look like you've been in a good mood lately"

"Ive been getting good sleep" he explained, just so she doesn't get any ideas

"Mhmmm… maybe some good dreams too, given the fact that you and kotoko-chan have been hanging out alot more"

"I work with her, she's handling one of my patients" naoki was putting up his defences. If he was ever going to win kotoko back, he wanted it to be out of his own efforts, not because of his mother's persistence

"I see, whatever you say naoki" she giggled.

He stopped reading his newspaper, embarrassed that yuki could hear this whole conversation, he got up and grabbed a toast and started to head to the door.

"Your not staying for breakfast?"

Naoki felt his pocket vibrate, he checked the text

The instant he read her name, his mood changed from irritated to happy again.

'I'll be buying nami-chan a gift for her birthday, do you want to come?"

Naoki remembered he had a shift today that was about to start in exactly an hour and 30 minutes, he then gets an idea and looks for a number, ignoring his mother's question

"Hello funatsu? Your off today right?"

"Good, switch with me. Take my shift today, something came up and you still owe me one from that time i covered for you… yes it starts at 9AM but it's an easy surgery… okay thank you"

He puts the phone away and starts walking towards the stairs when his mother quickly runs and stands between him and the stairs, her hands were spread out as she physically tried to block him from going up his room

"Why are you skipping work? Where are you going? That's so not like you naoki" she demanded to peeked his head, trying to listen to what his brother would say

"I have a date, now move"

"DATE!?" the two yelled out with surprised look on their faces

"If you dare follow me… i won't walk her home anymore. Im serious"

Noriko screamed on top of her lungs as she jumped for joy, she was on cloud nine. As she celebrated, naoki walked passed her as he rolled his eyes. There was no point in hiding his true feelings, slowly… he was learning to fearlessly make his intentions clear.

Something he was extremely poor at , something that made him feel vulnerable.

' _If it's her, i guess it's fine'_ he smiled to himself.


	13. Chapter 13

"Kotoko-san!" Ryuu leaps unto the direction of her second mothers arms, kotoko races to catch the boy into her warm embrace, her face brightens up the moment she heard his sweet voice. "Ryuu-chan! Oh how much i missed you! " she spins around with ryuu in her arms, both of them laughing with so much joy.

"Kotoko-san!" Hanako drags Her pink luggage inside the house, her violet a lined dress flows with her long legs as she steps inside the toasty room.

"Hanako-san! you changed your haircolor back to black!"

"Yes! Do you like it?"

Kotoko bobbed her head up and down in agreement as she suffocated the young mother in a big hug

"Your place is SO cute !" hanako's head turns to a full 360 as she observes the tiny apartment.

"Yeah, it's small but it's my home now" kotoko proudly smiles

The whole evening was spent with a homemade dinner and endless stories.

Even after ryuu knocked out, the two opened up a glass of wine and caught up with where they left off.

The next day arrived and hanako insisted in visiting the aihara/irie's residence.

She took quite a liking to noriko from her previous visits and wanted to see her so badly kotoko had to take yet another day off.

The doorbell rings and noriko jumps from excitement.

"They're here!" she stops her knitting.

"I'M COMING!" yuki observes his mother from afar as he sits adjacent from his older brother who had his laptop on his lap. The excitement of his mother caught his attention and his fingers froze from typing.

Just by the way his mother was acting the whole day, he already had some kind of idea who the mysterious visitor was

"Oh my ryuu-chan! You've grown SO much !"

The two irie's could hear from afar.

From naoki's view he could only see a corner of the front door, as he took a peak, he spotted her grinning like an idiot, she wore a plain white structured t-shirt that went well with the dainty necklace wrapped around her neck, it was a piece that matched her earrings, the simplicity of her modest beauty always amazed him.

How can she look so cute in such simple clothing? The effortless taste she had in her wardrobe was definitely an improvement that took a while, years to be exact, for her to perfect.

But this was kotoko he was thinking about, she can always achieve anything she put her mind to.

 **(AN: if your still envisioning honoka-san as kotoko, take a look at her recent instagram photo's, i mostly get the inspiration for her clothing there. Look up honoka_yahagi , i would say at this point of my fiction, she would look like her current photo's)**

Both boys get up to greet their guests, this was originally the aihara's place as well after all.

The ladies bonded over some tea while ryuu played some video games with yuki.

After an hour, everyone still stayed in their respective places, and the ladies were still talking and laughing.

Yuki looks over to little ryuu who laid asleep on the floor.

He placed a blanket over the child, and smiles. Ryuu and hanako were like family now to them, and the child reminded him of his role model, hirosaki. He checked at his phone and his eyes widened as he read the text from a special friend. "Yuki-kun, can you please come by?things have gotten out of hand, hurry!"

He remembers that konomi had attended a small get together at a karaoke bar close by.

She was hanging out with some classmates, he wondered if something went wrong, since konomi was not the type of girl who wouldn't exaggerate a situation compared to his 'soon to be sister in law'. He grabs his wallet and a jacket, rushing down the stairs, he take the purple scarf by the door , and hurriedly changes to outdoor shoes.

"Okaa-san! Konomi needs me , so i'll be back in a bit, ryuu'chans asleep in my room so just check up on him okay?"

Before anyone could respond the front door heavily shuts closed.

Noriko places a hand over her cheek and turns over to the surprised ladies.

"Oh my yuki-kun has grown so much, look at him! Rushing to his girlfriend to rescue her! SO CUTE!"

Hanako and kotoko both giggle

A few seconds of silence passes by, and a light bulb inside mrs. irie's head turns on

"Oh! I'm going to go follow him, JUST to make sure everything is okay! You know how children are!"

Naoki rolls is eyes. ' _What's new, poor yuki'_ he shakes his head in pity for his younger brother.

"Come one hanako-chan! I'll show you how it's done! When your ryuu gets older, you must know the ways of taking unforgettable memories! Especially during the blooming years!" she exclaims, as she grabs her own jacket and forcefully makes hanako wear hers.

"I'll come too!" kotoko happily volunteers

"NO!"

Everyone freezes in surprise.

"i-i , i mean…. You kotoko-chan! Stay here, if ryuu-chan wakes up, he won't be comfortable with just _this_ cold man right here!" she gestures towards her eldest son

"Plus! This is an expedition for mothers only! So be a dear and stay put for ryuu-chan till we get back okay?"

"B-but.."

"Bye bye kotoko-chan and onii-chan!"

Noriko bids them farewell as she shuts the door closed along with a clueless hanako.

As they drive by the chilly roads, the suspicious giggling started

"Mrs. irie, you didn't have to do that, ryuu can be left alone there and he won't cry, naoki is actually very likable when it comes to children" she pointed out

"I know that! But did you know that after all these years, those two aren't even dating yet? Though that's what your brother told me he wished for them, they still act this way! Desperate times call for desperate measures don't you agree?

hanako finally understands and nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes yes ! i was thinking the same thing!"

 **\- meanwhile -**

"Somethings never change" naoki sighs

"I know right?" kotoko smiles slightly, the realization of their situation had caused her heartbeat to run faster.

"Mama?" a faint voice of a child echoed the hallways upstairs.

Kotoko rushed to tend to her godson. Her barefeet making thud noises.

Naoki closes his laptop and finally gets up.

He whips out his arm and scans for the time.

6;05 PM

What was his mother doing, leaving during supper time.

He also remembered the two fathers had plans after work to drink with old college friends that evening.

That meant that kotoko, him and ryuu are on their own foodwise.

He exhales deeply and gets to work in the kitchen.

When kotoko finally convinces ryuu to come down, she bribes him with a ride on her back.

20 minutes had already passed since she came rushing up

And as she slowly makes her way down the stairs with little ryuu on her back, she see's naoki's tall figure by the kitchen. His broad back facing him, a pink ribbon hugged his hips.

He was wearing his mother's apron as he chopped vegetables in such a graceful and precise manner

"Irie-kun?"

He turns to face her. The pink feminine apron covered most of his lean body, kotoko placed a hand on her mouth in shock, she tries to hold it in but fails to do so, she bursts out laughing

He eyes her with a serious expression, clearly offended.

"I guess you'd rather starve tonight" he threatens her.

She stops immediately "I'm sorry! It's just that-"

Her sentence stops as her stomach interrupts her. The room fell silent as her face turns red.

Naoki turns to face the kitchen island, his back now again facing her.

"Let ryuu down and help me set up the table" he instructs her.

"H-hai…" she obeys quietly.

Little did she see naoki's smiling face as she continues to chop the remaining vegetables.

 **AN: sorry for being away again guys !**

 **i have been working on my next fanfic a lot so i've been busy! But since we are nearing the end of this story, i will post more chapters this week, take it as an apology for being gone for a few weeks.**

 **I haven't forgotten about this fanfic, it IS a continuation of my first one anyways.**

 **Just been busy. Thanks for not forgetting about it !**


	14. Chapter 14

The dinner room was filled with a satisfying aura.

Naoki had cooked up a quick pick me up vegtable stirfry. The table was neatly set for 3 and they said their blessings before indulging the fresh veggies.

Ryuu smiles brightly as he took his first bite, he faces naoki and a warm feeling inside him enlightened. He had taken a liking to the boy since he was basically like family to them, and it felt like a piece of hirosaki still remained alive within them.

"You like it ryuu-chan?"

He nodded without another word, still chewing his food.

Kotoko gave him a thumbs up "irie-kun is such an amazing cook! Isn't he? Remember to finish all your vegetables because they make you smarter!" she encouraged him

"Then maybe you should eat lots" naoki interrupted her

"Hey!" she bangs her fist on the table, trying to look offended.

But she too couldn't hold in her laughter

"Ahhh irie-kun, you never change" she beamed at him

"You as well" he observes her face, he can never get enough of that laugh

"Really? I think ive changed a bit" she bragged a little , her chin high

"I guess an outsider would see it that way, but i dont… you're still the same girl that was in class F" he took a sip from his cup

"Why you little…."

"You're still the same girl that scored 100th on the list, how can i possibly forget"

She smiled, now realizing what he truly meant

"I always knew you had so much potential, i knew it the moment i saw your name on that list, i knew it before anyone else did, too bad it took you years to finally figure it out"

Kotoko fell silent, what he said didn't just sink in her

It made her realize all this time how blind she was, how she underestimated herself so badly back then.

Naoki was right, it took her years, a couple of heartbreaks and millions of teardrops to fully realize her true worth, how to truly love herself before she could allow herself to love others.

"You too" she answered back

"Eh?"

"I don't think youv'e changed much, your a doctor now… but i always knew one day you'll achieve great things, i knew it before everyone else did"

"Yeah, thanks for that" he finally grinned at her

The moment was interrupted by naoki's ringtone, he almost jumped from the vibration of his noisy phone,

"Excuse me"

He stepped away and walked to the empty living room to answer his phone

"Kotoko-san!" ryuu called

"Yeah?"

"It's like were playing house! Your the mommy and irie-san is the daddy!"

Kotoko blushed, startled with how blunt the child could be

"U-uhmm… no way ryuu! Irie-kun and i are just very good friends"

"Don't you love him?"

"Huh?"

"Mama says that you love irie-san and irie-san loves you"

"Your mama told you that? She's lying!"

"But my mama doesn't lie to me, she says that lying is bad"

"Shhhh! Its a lie !"

Ryuu pouted, "hirosaki nii chan said you'd lie about it if i asked you"

"Hahhh?"

After a few moments, naoki returns to the room and puts his phone away to continue his meal.

"Your mother?" kotoko takes a guess

"No, it was sahoko. She's passing by tokyo to take care of some things, she was just asking about my availability.

Kotoko felt a little prick inside. _I didn't know they were talking to each other_

" i see you've made up with sahoko-san, thats nice"

Naoki continued to eat mindlessly, failing to notice how bothered she was about it

"Yeah, now that the whole marriage thing is done and it's been a while since i last saw her… we've decided to let the past stay in the past and continue as friends"

"I see" she lowered her gaze

"We should all have dinner sometime, i'm sure hanako-san would enjoy it as well"

"Yeah i guess" she put on a fake smile, though the stabbing pain inside continued, she denied it ever existed.

Based on hanako's explanation, sahoko was now a changed woman

She no longer kept her fake and perfect facade and came out as someone 'you dont want to mess with' type of woman. The traditional japanese wife type was now the sahoko of the past, and she was now fierce and independent just like how she originally was when they were kids.

She sighed. Her thoughts were just going in circle, making silly assumptions based on that one phone call.

The next day at work, kotoko had a few minutes left to spare since she finished her lunch early.

She went to the vending machine and bought some candy bars and snacks.

Kotoko happily skipped to her destination, forgetting about the incident last night during dinner.

Her workplace was her happy place.

She loved her craft, helping people get better and assisting amazing doctors gave her the most joy especially whenever she was stressed.

She holds out her hand by the curtain "bow wow!" she attempts to make it look like a dog

"Here again?"

The nurse reveals herself with a big grin "yeah, i brought some snacks… want to eat them with me?"

nami and kotoko talked for a bit, half of the time they argued that her previous hand impression of a dog was incorrect, and half of the conversation was filled with childish nonsense and silly stories.

"So, you still don't want to do the surgery huh"

Nami's head lowered

"That's okay, i think it's only normal to be scared...

But i think its also okay to have faith… you know, i don't think your mom would want you to have the surgery if it was necessary…. Also, irie-kun and all the doctors are working really hard for you"

"R-really?"

She gave the patient a nod "hm! Irie-kun's always on his laptop doing his research and he's always constantly working on your reports, you do know that he went through years of medical school so he can properly be a doctor and save lives right?"

Nami was silent, kotoko scooched closer and patted her soft hair.

"We both promised to dedicate our full efforts to all our patients...you can trust him nami-chan, he's waited years to do what he's doing now, believe in us, even if its just a little bit"

"But-"

"When we were in high school, naoki was always top of his class. He was always the number one ever since he was young! He _does_ have an IQ of 200 anyway… it took him a while to fight for his dream, he went through so much, did you know? He even spent a year away from his family to do his internship in the states? He said 'even though it's hard, i will do whatever i can for my future patients, so i can help the ones in need!' isn't that amazing? He's like superman"

Nami giggled a bit "you really do love him do you?"

"Eh?"

"Promise me then… if i do the surgery, you'll confess your feelings to irie-sensei and i will be invited to your wedding!" the child finally smiled again

"HAAHH!? Wedding?"

"I guess i wont do the surgery then" she pretended to pout

"You can't blackmail me like that! I'm your nurse!"

Nami sighed "i guess i'll never get to grow up and be a nurse like you then" she acted sad

"Fine fine! I promise!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah! Just as long as you agree to do the surgery! Please nami-chan!"

The child smirked and held out her pinky "you have a deal!"

Kotoko intertwined her pinky with nami's . she was already dreading her decision, but she was desperate at this point.

Right at that moment, one of the senior nurses spots them from the opened door.

"AIHARA-SAN ! THERE YOU ARE! Your break is done over a minute ago! Get back to work you lazy girl!"

"Sorry nami-chan! I gotta go!"

"Sure, see you later! And don't forget our promise okay?"

As the nurse left the room, the little girl smiled to herself.

An evil grin crossed her lips "how gullible. I was going to agree anyway but.. Oh well, it will be fun to attend irie-sensei's wedding!"

 **AN:**

 **I decided to change nami-chan's character completely.**

 **Just because i found it a little weird how she had a crush on her own doctor who was way too old for her (in the drama) and also because i wanted her to grow fond of my kotoko ! hope you liked the chapter !**


	15. Chapter 15

Kotoko was walking home from her shift.

She dragged her tired feet heavily and encouraged herself to keep walking since her place was only around the block.

The sky was still and it was setting to darkness soon.

She looked above and admired the wonderful artwork that covered all through the city of tokyo.

Her smile disappeared when her eyes landed on a familiar sight

It was naoki, he carried a bouquet of flowers in his right arm , walking the streets of tokyo by himself. She spots him in an instance despite their distance.

Kotoko quickly runs to a post to hide herself, that was her first instinct

 _Ugh why am i hiding! It's not like were together or anything, why should i concern myself with his whereabouts…._ She eyes the bouquet

 _Then again… we're good friends right? It wouldn't hurt to be a little bit concerned with what he's planning to do with those flowers…_

Kotoko shakes her head in denial, trying hard to erase her bad thoughts

 _No kotoko, this has nothing to do with you, just go home, and ask him straight up when you see him!_

She finally stands straight _yosh! That's what hirosaki would tell me to do!_

Striding proudly in the opposite direction she takes a few prideful steps

 _But wait, it wouldn't hurt just to take a peek right? It's probably just a misunderstanding, yeah!_

She spins towards the other way again, secretly following naoki through the busy streets.

He looked to be in quite a good mood today. He was wearing his black blazer and a navy dress shirt under. Looking as dashing as ever.

Naoki finally arrives at a nearby cafe, about a few streets away from her apartment.

Luckily for kotoko, there was a big window that exposed most of the cafe so she could watch from afar.

She settles herself behind a bush across the cafe. She quickly purchases a pair of glasses and a hat from a store beside the cafe.

She positions herself and scans the place for naoki.

 _Aha ! there you are… see, he's alone! I knew it!_ A sigh of relief escapes her breath and she relaxes a bit.

But just as she was about to leave, she sees a familiar woman enter the cafe with a cream colored stroller.

 _Is that…._

The lady acknowledged his presence and joined him in the small booth

Naoki actually smiled at her, and kotoko knew that it was a genuine one, he looked happy.

She felt a part of her crumble. How can he show such an expression to his ex girlfriend?

Yes of course they were friends now, but her doubts started to circle her mind

Questions started bothering her fragile heart

 _What if all this time he actually loves her?_

 _What if the only reason they broke up was because she lied? Now that he's forgiven her… are they back together again?_

 _No, that's not possible… he told me…._

Then just before she could make another assumption , or ask herself another question,

Naoki hands her the flowers and says something she couldn't make out.

Kotoko found herself wiping away a tear from her cheek.

He really did look happy.

 _I've had enough already..._ kotoko gets up from her hideout and proceeds to run away from the scene.

Little did she know what really happened inside that cafe.

 **-MEANWHILE-**

naoki was sitting down inside a booth adjacent to sahoko

She scanned the paperwork as she used her other free hand to scribble down on her notepad.

Naoki was watching the little one struggle with colouring in the lines on the colouring book, she had a determined look on her face that he found quite amusing.

"Thank you naoki-san, for helping me with these annoying paperwork, my schedule has been so full lately that Its hard to go through them one by one.

"No worries, I'm happy I could be of assistance, you look like you have a lot on your plate so don't ever hesitate to ask"

Sahoko smiled a little, ever since she moved with Hanako and the cancellation of their engagement, Naoki had completely returned back to his normal self, if anything , he never looked happier, healthier, and quite more handsome if that wasn't even possible and she was happy for him.

"I'm glad he's so eager to adopt her so early, congratulations on your engagement" he smiled at her with nothing but genuine happiness inside his heart as he hands her the bouquet of flowers

"From my family to yours"

"Thank you…that time, I never really realized how much of a hole I was digging myself and you into…. But now that I look at it…you breaking off the engagement was one of the best things that ever happened to me, thank you for that"

Memories of the past flashed before Naoki's eyes,

He remembered that day like it was just yesterday.

The day of the wedding, the accident, and how kotoko was rushed into the ER for a false alarm, the possibility of losing her forever gave him a clear understanding of how much of a bad decision he was making, and how much he really loved kotoko… in the end, everything eventually worked itself out, and they all grew from all the trials that they conquered

He himself was also grateful for sahoko's honesty.

it truly had saved him from making one of the worst decisions of his life.

"I'm really just waiting on you and kotoko-san to be together" she teased him while pulling away a loose strand of hair.

he sighed.

Its been almost a decade now since he had fallen involve with her, now its just been this hard campaign of winning her back, now that her world didn't revolve around him, it was ten times as hard to even get her attention.

"I don't even know if that's a possibility anymore"

His hand ran through his scalp, caressing the bed hair he refused to brush this morning.

"Don't give up on her, after everything she's done for you, she deserves someone who will fight for her"

He takes a sip of his water, his throat was a bit dry

"Who said anything about giving up?"

"That's the naoki i know" she sits back with a proud smile on her ageless face.

"I'm so proud of you and kotoko, i wish you both happiness"

The week after that very day was the day alot of doctors have been anticipating.

Naoki got his scrubs ready and grabbed the bars tightly

They were cold as ice but nothing fazed him

In this moment, he was confident with himself. He looked at his young patient who seemed so calm.

It was weird how eager she was in doing the surgery as quickly as possible.

But his curiosity wanted to know what caused her to finally agree?

Whatever it was, he was thankful.

"Irie sensei" nami finally spoke

"Yes?" he gently placed his hand on her forehead "whats wrong? Are you scared? Don't worry… it won't take long… you'll be awake and well before you know it"

She shook her head

"No, im not scared at all… because i trust you irie-sensei"

"Thanks"

"Can i ask you something?"

Naoki nodded

"Why did you become a doctor?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's because i want to know more about you"

He paused.

Then without warning, memories started to flood into his mind

The suffering hirosaki went through, and how he made naoki promise to follow his dream and help the sick

The pain and helplessness he felt when his dear friend and the love of his life suffered just because of a disease.

The tragedy of his father getting a heart attack, almost losing the company he created from scratch

And how can he possibly forget, the time yuki was rushed into the hospital because of kotoko's help.

That very conversation he had with her in his tiny apartment

Kotoko's very words…

' _I realized in the hospital today, that a person's life may depend on a split second decision...but i think you can do it'_

"When i was struggling, unable to decide what i should do...someone told me, i should be a doctor...i thought, that's not a bad idea"

His gaze stares into mid air as he envisions the person who mattered most to him.

"Was it her?"

"It's nice when you have someone who believes in you, when you lack the courage to believe in yourself.. Oh well, i'm pretty sure she doesn't even remember it…" he sighed

The surgeon finally arrives and interrupts their conversation

And with naoki's final words , nami was put into ease that naoki and everyone in the room will do everything they can to save her.

As she breathed the air from the oxygen mask as she closed her eyes without fear.

she dreamt of a beautiful girl in a wedding dress, she had white roses on her hair that clipped in a low bun style, smiling beside a handsome groom who wore an all white tux.

The church was decorated with lovely floral decorations and everyone cheered for the couple.

Her dream had put her in a state of happiness she hoped she would soon see in real life.


	16. Chapter 16

Naoki unlocks the front door with ease, he looks around the empty house and tiredly takes his shoes out from his sore feet, the operation was a complete success and although his body was about to give in at any second, his mind was clouded with so much questions.

Kotoko hadn't been replying to any of her texts and lately, he hasn't been seeing her around, is she avoiding him again? Millions of worried thoughts circled his conscience, was she eating right? Was she leaving early to walk home?

Before he could come up with any more concerns, his mother comes down the stairs.

Her circlers tucked away inside her hair, and her usual night gown and bathrobe combo was on point that night as well.

"Onii-san, did you walk kotoko home?"

He let out a breath

"No"

Her foot stomps the ground, heavy and demanding.

"And why not? They still haven't caught the rapist that's out lose in the streets of tokyo! I fully told you to watch over her"

Naoki rubs his forehead, his mom really had a knack for lecturing him.

"Ma, as much as i was willing to walk her home, i didn't see her all day"

"Really?"

"Yes"

"Hmmm" she put a finger to her lip with a questioning look

Both mother and son took a moment of silence to ponder upon the matter.

It wasn't like kotoko to avoid naoki at this point.

 _They were getting along so well these past few days…._

 _I was so sure we were only days away from them confessing to each other!_

 _Hmm… maybe i should push harder?_

 _Yes, i have to come up with a plan to help onii-chan win her back!_

Naoki quietly gets a glass of water and takes the first few steps up to his room

Upon reaching the top of the staircase, his eye catches the sight of his little brothers door slightly open. With the best intentions to give yuki the privacy he deserves, naoki reaches to close the door when he notices that the room was brightly lit and yuki was awake in his pajama's, the young man that was a complete reflection of himself back in highschool stood in front if the large window, his upper body leaning over as he was clearly admiring the beauty of the nights sky through his telescope.

Naoki joined his little brother and gave him a pat on the back to make his presence known

"Ah onii-chan, okairi"

"Tadaima"

They shared a moment of silence, having the same personality… the peace and quiet soothed both of them

Yuki exhaled.

"You with kotoko-san?"

Naoki shook his head "no, didn't see her all day, i haven't seen that baka since monday"

"Ah… i see"

Naoki's head gave him one nod in response, yuki finally pulls away from the telescope and looks at the sky blankly

"I just don't understand why you two just won't confess to one another already"

Naoki laughed. Seriously, he's been hearing the same thing from everyone recently its driving him crazy.

"Sometimes the simplest things aren't the easiest to do"

"You have a very bad habit of overthinking things" yuki protests

"Hmmm? What about you? Why don't you just tell mother that you and kotomi are officially a couple now" he teased with a slight grin

Yuki could feel his cheeks get warm with a blush

"No were not"

"Don't deny it now, i happen to pass by the bridge that morning when a certain someone kissed her, i must give you credit though…. I guess i underestimated you"

Yuki's eyes grew twice its size as he refused to look his older brother in the eye

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me, so now were even"

His thoughts go back to that moment , years ago when yuki was sick in the hospital and he secretly kissed kotoko.

Naoki walked back to the hallway leaving yuki who froze with an embarrassed look on his face

He was happy that at least yuki had learned from his mistakes at a much younger age.

A few days passed by and all connections between kotoko and naoki still remained the same.

So noriko called kotoko to come by for a special dinner.

They were celebrating yuki's birthday and the family was having a small gathering.

Despite how she feels about what she saw at the cafe , kotoko was excited to come by and celebrate. She made her way to her father's house and waited patiently at the door

So she could be let in.

Kotoko wore a light pink blouse with a peter pan collar, and a long blue skirt that ended just below her knees. her hair was tucked in with a dainty headband that was barely noticable.

The moment naoki opened the door , he paused for a second just to admire the extra effort kotoko had clearly put into her appearance.

"Kotoko…"

"Irie-kun…" she awkwardly looked away

Her tone had a ring of sadness in it, naoki scrambled his mind for answers, did he say something out of line to her? Was she out of patience with his recent behaviours and actions? Or maybe she just really has no more space for him inside her heart other than a family friend?

"Oh my kotoko-chan! You look SO adorable! Come on in !" his mother finally saves him from the awkward situation.

He watches from the corner of his eye, kotoko ran rushing to the kitchen to greet her father with a hug , a huge grin on her face and shigeo's laughter echoed loudly

They talked a bit and kotoko made her way to where yuki was, naoki admired her from afar as she giggled and charged yuki with a playful hug.

Kotoko teased him a bit and they continue to tease each other as kotomi laughs at the two.

Dinner starts and the whole family gathers in the dining table.

They laugh and talk about how things were going so far.

When the topic finally drifts off to naoki and kotoko back in highschool, thats when noriko starts the teasing. "Tsk onii-san! Why don't you two just get married already! We all know that you two have been going on dates and such"

At this point of the night, noriko was already at her 4th glass of wine, it was an understatement to call her drunk by this time.

"I think you've had too much to drink already" naoki scolded her

He could see that kotoko grew uncomfortable and stayed silent

"But onii-chan! That's what hirosaki-san wanted for the two of you! Your both just wasting precious time, its so obvious you two are crazy about each other! And that your destined to be together!" a burp escaped just right after that sentence, noriko took another hard sip from her wine glass

"Thats-"

But before naoki could say anything, kotoko interrupted

"I hate to disappoint you okaa-san, but i strongly disagree, there's nothing going on between me and irie-kun"

She avoided eye contact, failing to see the hurt in naoki's eyes.

"I believe he won't ever want to get involved with someone like me, after all… he's already mending old bonds so assuming non existent feelings would just trouble him even more"

 _What is she saying? Why is she suddenly talking like that? Why would she say that?_

"Mending old bonds?" shigeki raised a brow at his eldest son

"Onii-chan, are you…. Seeing some other woman?!" noriko scoffed in her drunken state

"No! what? Kotoko, what are you talking about?"

His brow furrowed as his pulse raced with anticipation

"There's no reason to hide it irie-kun, I always knew you and sahoko-san were destined to be together, after everything that happened… im happy you two can put everything aside and start a new, i just wished you told me sooner before all this"

Naoki was confussed.

With every word she just said, he got more lost

 _What is she talking about? These past few months i always tried to make an effort to show her my true intentions, my true feelings, what is this all of a sudden…_

"What are you talking about ? there's nothing going on between me and sahoko-san, were just friends now, we have put the past aside and were moving forward"

His answer only increased the irritation she was feeling, kotoko finally stood up from her chair

"Stop taking me for a fool irie-kun! You haven't changed ONE BIT! One day your kind to me, then the next you go about your way to another woman, i'm so sick and tired of it! You tell me that you love me, then you go ahead and do these things, i bet it was all just a lie, i knew it from the very beginning… there's no way you love me "

Dumbfounded with what she just said, naoki stood there, his feet was glued to the floor

Second guessing to himself if this was all a nightmare.

Kotoko then rushes to the door and storms out making a big exit

Everyone's expression was the same, they were all speechless

"Onii-chan! Go after her!"

Yuuki scolded his brother, who looked pale and lost just standing there

"Don't make the same mistake as last time! If you want her back, run after her !"

He sighed as he eyed the door "i don't think i deserve her back yuuki…"

This was the first time he ever expressed such feelings and fears in front of his whole family. He lacked the courage to chase after the love of his life, they were all right… she was too good for him, and once again, he had hurt her unintentionally.

Noriko slammed her fists on the table

"NO, i won't have this nonsense. I did not raise a coward… onii-chan! Are you listening to me?!"

Naoki stays still, his heart screamed run but his feet just wouldn't move

"Whether you deserve her or not shouldn't matter, son… if you really love her, don't give up, if you really love her, you have to make her understand, remember how much she fought for you? How much she helped you when you needed her? Now it's your turn… fight for her! She deserves that !"

Her words echoed inside his mind, all this time, his mother was right….

Despite her consistent pushing and annoying plans, this whole entire time… she was right.

That realization was enough to gain control of his feet

Naoki rushed to the door and realizes that kotoko forgot her coat

 _That baka, its pouring real hard today_

He quickly grabs his jacket and umbrella, but before he steps out the door, he looks back at his family who cheered for him

"Arigatou" he nodded as he finally heads out

The whole family cheered for him , and naoki could hear their screams from the outside of the house. Despite the disastrous weather… he scanned the streets for any signs of kotoko.

A few minutes had passed, the irie's stayed put at the house as they hoped for the two to return.

Shigeo and shigeki sat in the family room as the watched the news while konomi, yuki and noriko cleaned up the kitchen

Shigeki turned the volume up as his eyes grew big "mama! Look at this !"

"Based on the criminal illustration previous victims had provided, the police has confirmed that this is the man we have been looking for, 2 people had been stabbed inside this convenience store here in downtown tokyo, however… despite our greatest efforts, we have not been able to locate the criminal, he is on the loose in the streets of downtown tokyo, if you live around this area, please be advised to remain indoors to prevent any encounters, the police are scavenging the whole city and we are trying our best to catch the culprit"

"Oh my god! That's so close to kotoko's apartment!" noriko cried out in fear

Shigeo quickly got up to head to the front door when shigeki stopped him

"What are you doing?"

"Kotoko's out there! I can't just sit here and wait"

They hear the reporters voice from the television again

"All these roads are closed as of now, an investigation is being held and the police are patroling the area. Please avoid these areas to give way, the sooner we catch him, the better. If you are headed towards the streets, please be informed that they are blocked as of now for safety reasons"

"Were all worried about her ai-chan, but there's nothing we can do but wait. I'm sure naoki has found her by now"

"Right! Let me ask him!" noriko grabbed her phone and called her eldest son

"Naoki !where are you?!"

Naoki breathed heavily, it seems that he's been running around looking for her.

"No, why? Did she go back already?"

"No she hasn't come back! Naoki, please be really careful, and find her quick!"

"Why? What's the matter?" just the tone of her voice sounded off, it sounded like something was wrong, besides kotoko running away.

 _What else can top that though?_ He wondered

"The area near kotoko's apartment, the roads are blocked ! there was a stabbing by the convenience store and the police are going around the streets trying to find the criminal, if she's heading back to her home, i hope she's okay. listen naoki, he's dangerous, it's the rapist that's been wondering around for awhile, i'm counting on you to find her, but please be careful!" noriko was choking on her own words, he could hear the tears just from her sobbs

"Don't worry okaasan, i'll be okay. I'll find her for sure"

He ended the call, more determined to find her

Naoki could feel himself panicking, if the roads were closed then its a serious issue.

But nothing can stop him from finding her, he clears his mind to look for her. _Where would she be? Where would she run off to ?_

A memory pops up and that was enough to fuel his legs to keep running.

He prayed to the gods that a miracle would come through…

The rain continued to pour hard as kotoko ran with tears in her eyes

She finally reached her desired destination and looked around, she feared from her predator as she shivered in her damp clothes.

When she finally spots a good hiding place under a closed booth that had some shelter enough to prevent a few drops of rain from her face, kotoko looks at the beautiful view of the rainbow bridge that was a good distance away from her

She sobbed even more when she remembered all the memories she had at this place.

Her feet was killing her, and her clothes were all wet, but she didn't care.

At this point, she was done with everything and just needed to cry all her frustrations out

Naoki makes it to the other side of the dock and scans the deserted area

He remembered hirosaki telling him that this was one of kotoko's favorite places in tokyo. As he looks around, anticipation runs through and he stops to catch his breath.

Soon enough he finally hears the sobbs.

That was her alright, she was tucked away in the corner under a empty booth and beside a trash can. Why was she crying? Did she by any chance came in contact with that psycho?

His blood ran cold as he ran to her.

Naoki knelt down to her level and roughly held her face inches away from his.

They were red from all the crying.

He scanned her, searching for any signs of hurt.

She threw herself at him, crying uncontrollably.

"Kotoko… what-"

"Irie-kun! I was so scared"

 _So something DID happen to her_

"He was just so fast, i couldn't get away!" She held the edge of her skirt to show him the tear at the end

Naoki was confused for a bit but he let her speak

"He didn't touch you right? Tell me you weren't hurt" he hugged her tighter

"He bit me! Then… when i got away, he bit my skirt so i fell face forward on the grass! I was so scared i ran all the way here even though i left my other shoe behind when i fell" she explained in between sobbs

"The guy… bit you?" he pulled her away from the hug to look at her

"The guy? What guy are you talking about? There was a huge dog just roaming around the streets close by my apartment that bit me !"

Now it all made sense to naoki, after registering everything she said he came to a conclusion that they were again misunderstanding each other.

A sigh of relief escaped his breath

"Hey! You two over there! Are you alright?"

A man in uniform a few feet away from them yelled

He stood beside a big, tall german shepherd, the dog alerted kotoko as she pointed at him

"That's the one ! see how big he is !"

Naoki stood up to acknowledge the officer

"You kids better head home, it's not safe around here, we're closing down some of the roads nearby because of the criminal on the loose"

"Criminal?" kotoko raised a brow as she wiped her cheeks clean

"Yes ma'am" the dog starts to bark at kotoko, interrupting its owner

Kotoko grips tightly into naoki's arm. "That's the dog! The one that bit me!"

The officer see's the small bite on kotoko's ankle and the rip on her skirt.

"Oh no, i'm so sorry for that" he bows, "I'm still new at this job and so is this puppy, i really do apologize for what happened"

"I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding" naoki stated

"Were you running when you came across him ma'am?

"Y-yes…"

"That's probably why, he probably misunderstood. Sorry about that" he bowed again

"She will be okay. We'll just head home so i can disinfect her ankle"

"sure ! there's a first aid kid inside my car, if it's okay with the two of you… we can do it there and i can bring you two home, is that okay?"

"That sounds good, thank you so much"

"It's the least i can do for you two, i'm so sorry again ma'am"

They all headed to the officer's car and naoki gets to work. Within a couple of minutes, he manages to bandage the ankle. The young officer apologized to kotoko profusely, when he was about to make his way to the driver's seat, his radio turns on

"Yes… yes i understand, i will report immediately"

He ends the call and turns to the two

"Good news...we found the guy"

"Really? That was quick"

"hmm … not really, but unfortunately that means i have to report back, i'm sorry i can't give you a lift home"

"No that's fine, lending us your first aid kit was more than enough. Thank you for your kindness" naoki bowed

"I hope your ankle gets better soon" the officer gets in his car and grins at them

"Good luck you two!"

And just like that , the young officer speeds off, along with the dog in the backseat of his vehicle.

Kotoko waved with a smile as she watched the car disappear in the distance.

"Well that was a bit embarrassing"

Naoki chuckled. "There's never a dull moment with you.."

Their eyes meet "i mean it in a good way"

She smiles then remembers why they were there in the first place.

Her smile fades and was replaced with a slight frown

"Kotoko…"

"Irie-kun, i'm sorry...the things that i said, they were out of line… I'm sorry i yelled at you in front of everyone, i lost control and even caused you and the family to worry so much"

She lowered her head, ashamed of her rational actions and her hurtful words

Naoki pulled her into a warm embrace. Dropping the umbrella , exposing them to the rain , yet again.

"I was so worried. I thought something bad happened to you"

Kotoko giggled a bit "well something did, but it wasn't what you thought"

She felt his grip get tighter, so she responded and held him as well.

"Ive hurt you so many times, i don't even think i deserve the right to be with you"

"Irie-kun… you don't have to-"

"Im sorry kotoko, for everything. For hurting you so many times… believe me… i never wanted to hurt you in any way. I promise, if you just give me a chance… i promise to make it all up to you"

Kotoko froze as he pulled away to face her.

"What do you say kotoko? Let me make it up to you, i'll spend the rest of my life showing you just how much i love you"

A tear rolled down her cheek, was she dreaming? The things naoki was saying, they were all a joke right?

"Y-your not serious are you? You don't mean.."

"Marry me kotoko" He looked into her eyes with so much determination

"I'll make up for every single mistake i've done, for the rest of my life…yes, i'm cold hearted… yes, i have a hard time showing my emotions… and yes, i'm stubborn.

But you see through all that. Your the only one who's ever loved me for who i truly am, you were always there for me when i needed you… so please"

He gently places his hands on her cheeks , locking eyes with hers.

"Marry me… i don't ever want to be apart from you anymore"

Kotoko couldn't believe her ears.

All her life she has been denying that this was ever a possibility.

She had let others and even her own insecurities stop her from ever imagining a life with naoki.

Tears flooded down her cheeks as she continued to cry, she was lost of words.

She couldn't speak so she just nodded

"I love you irie-kun...so much" she embraced him, still crying.

But now these were tears of happiness, she was so overwhelmed with so much joy

Naoki held her in his arms, thankful for all the chances she has given him

Thankful for the people who supported them

And thankful that he made the right choice to run after her.

He moves away from the hug and his lips touches her.

Naoki cups her cheeks gently as they kiss passionately in the rain.

 **AN:**

 **Before you say it, yes it was meant to be a bit dramatic (mostly because the plot was exaggerated, and idk why i liked it that way) lol**

 **But the rain wasn't a dramatic effect though, i just followed through with the original i guess? I think it's cute so don't insist that it's not.**

 **1 more chapter to go people,**

 **Again, i'd like to thank the amount of support this fanfic has gotten. And sorry that i made everyone suffer with all the waiting (i was not expecting such a hard semester, lol my bad!)**

 **This story and its characters have come a long way and it's all thanks to you readers!**

 **Crizzychoo- i wouldn't use 'refined' i guess… more like 'improved?'**

 **Yes she has gotten smarter and acts, dresses, and sometimes even talks like a better version of herself, but her major qualities still stay the same.**

 **She's matured overtime in this fanfic… but she's still the same clumsy, insecure, cheerful, and bubbly kotoko we all know and love. It's like that one friend we all have that just went through a huge transformation overtime, but still acts like the silly friend you grew up with all this time, LOL**

 **guest - yeah this story actually got longer than what i originally planned, but oh well… i had a great time writing it. Im actually in the middle of writing another itazura na kiss fanfic that im still contemplating on sharing… so i hope your satisfied with the ending since i need to wrap this one up ! thanks so much for reading**

 **annjudith- i hope this meets your expectations, although cliche, you already know i'm all about that happy ending as well ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

"Oh my goodness onii-chan! Kotoko-chan! Your soaking wet!"

"Okaa-san, we-"

"Come in! Come on now! You two must be freezing! What happened to the umbrella you took onii-chan? Tsk these kids…"

"Um, okaa-san, we have something to tell you" kotoko tried but was soon cut off again with her father's strong hug

"Kotoko! We were so worried, thank goodness you two are okay"

"Right? What terrible timing! A criminal on the loose at the same time as a lovers quarrel"

"Well nevermind that, as long as you two are safe and okay… now go on and dry up you two, nobody can afford to get sick in this house" shigeki motioned for the two to head upstairs

"Yes of course! I'll get a hot bath ready and get some towels, kotoko-chan you can go-"

"Enough already" naoki finally yelled. Frustrated with all the ruckus his family was making

Everyone froze and turned towards his direction

"Kotoko and i… we have to tell everyone something"

"But onii-chan! I really don't want kotoko-chan to get sick! At least let me grab her a towel and-"

"oji-san , i need to talk to you first…"

"Naoki, i'm sure it can wait… you two need to-"

"I waited long enough, i'm at my limit here…. Kotoko and i…. " he turned to look for her approval and she nodded as her cheeks blushed intensely

"I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage" naoki bowed respectfully.

He knew that shigeo had every right to say no. regardless whether kotoko and him already decided on it, he still feared for her father's disapproval.

Afterall, shigeo was very aware with the numerous amount of times that he had hurt kotoko.

Naoki knew all too well that it was shigeo who tried to help kotoko forget about him by moving to osaka in the first place.

Still, he had hope…. His hands still on his sides and his gaze fixated on the wooden floors.

"I know i don't deserve her…. I've hurt her so many times, i don't even know where to begin to ask for forgiveness. But i love her, and i promise you i will do whatever it takes to prove that. Every day for the rest of my life…. Oji-san, may i have your blessing?"

"Naoki-kun…" a concerned look showed within his face. Naoki slowly stood up straight

"You are aware she has no natural talent in anything, right?"

"I know"

"She's not smart, it takes her quite a few tries to learn average things…"

"I know"

"Despite her improvements… she's not that skilled in the kitchen…"

"I know"

"She's reckless, clumsy, and tends to rush into things… she will constantly mess things up"

Every words was like a hard poke on her, kotoko's head went lower and lower as she too shamelessly agreed with every statement her father said.

Her time at osaka had drastically transformed her into a better person

But she knew that there were just things she couldn't change within herself.

"I know" naoki responded again

Shigeo sighed as he eyed his little girl, soaking wet on the other side of the room with her head down and her cheeks flushed. He reminisced the first time he ever held her in his arms, a feeling of overwhelming happiness takes over his chest.

"But… she's cheerful.."

"Courageous… sincere and truly precious"

The chef starts to tear up he continued to choke on his words

Naoki smiles in agreement "i know…"

"Naoki-kun, take good care of kotoko" shigeo finally responds to his bow

"I will….is that okay kotoko?" he asked her again as an attempt to check if this was real or he was dreaming.

Kotoko's eyes were twice their size. She was caught off guard by his actions

Nothing came out of her mouth, she only managed to nod in approval

the moment was interrupted by noriko's ear popping scream, she jumped on kotoko , wrapping her arms around her now official daughter

She was screaming on top of her lungs and was crying at the same time

"KOTOKO-CHAN!" noriko sobbed

"I've waited so long for this day to come !

"Otou-san… i still owe you an apology. For being selfish… i never got around to ask for your forgiveness… my selfish actions had caused the company and the family so much trouble, if the akiyoshi clan hadn't come to help us out, things would end up differently, so i'm sorry to have caused everything, and for disappointing you in every way possible"

The cheering stopped ,Shigeki cleared his throat and kept his arms tucked away

"Naoki-kun…. You were never a disappointment. And most of what happened was not in your control… although you did made things complicated… your feelings for kotoko was obvious to everyone but yourself. But i'm glad you've come to realize that on your own, i'm proud of the man you are today"

"That's right onii-chan! It was our fault for pushing you too hard. We're sorry about that" noriko added

"Don't worry onii-chan! Once i graduate high school… i'll be the new president of pandai!" yuki stated

Naoki smiled at his little brother, who was now… not so little anymore.

"I'm counting on you yuki, thank you"

Again noriko interrupts their moment as she pulls kotoko away to head upstairs

"Well enough of all this talk! We can discuss it all later when the two of you are nicely dry! Come on now!"

And with that the pair headed upstairs.

Noriko had laid out a set of pajamas for kotoko. She refused to let her future daughter in law go home, with everything that just happened, and because of the time, she made kotoko promise to stay put for the night and sleep in her old bedroom.

Kotoko obliged, realizing that she herself was tired enough with all the running she just did.

When naoki finished his bath, he grabbed a spare towel and looked around the hallways in search for his now called fiance.

By this time, everyone was already asleep in their respective rooms

Naoki steps into kotoko's old bedroom only to find it empty.

He headed down to the kitchen, the piano, the living space and the bathroom, no sign of her. Then finally he sees her by the swinging bench outside on the backyard, her back turned to him.

He approaches her, placing the towel on her head catching her off guard

Kotoko jumped in surprise

"Can't sleep? You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair"

Naoki takes the seat beside her. Leaving a small awkward gap, a few inches between them

"Ah yes… arigatou" she fumbled with her fingers again

He looks at her, surprised that after all these years she would still get nervous whenever he tries to be affectionate with her. well , he _did_ rarely showed her any signs of affection, it was something he was still working on.

Naoki sighed and started to ruffle her hair dry with the towel, breaking the awkward atmosphere between them, kotoko giggled and her eyes locked with his.

She beamed at him , her hazel eyes shimmering in the moonlight as she gazed back at him, naoki stopped

' _God i love her so much'_

Then just as fast as it came, her smile disappeared, she pouted a bit and looked away

"What?"

"I'm scared"

"I'm scared that everything might just be a dream, i'm scared that maybe if i sleep and i wake up tomorrow, you'll forget everything or you'll take back everything you said and run away"

 _I'm scared too._

"Then shall we sleep together then?" he couldn't resist the opportunity she gave him to tease her again

Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head vigorously

" i didn't mean it that way, i just-"

He cut her off by pulling her close in his arms, somehow this always seemed to calm the both of them, it was somewhat peaceful having her so close to him, this way naoki felt like he can think straight and that half of him was now restored in that rightful place.

"Silly girl, i knew that"

She chuckled. Then a moment of silence passed within a few seconds again.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?"

"Yeah"

Her smile returned " i love you irie-kun, i hope you know that i love you the most"

"I know that, quite well actually"

" i didn't know that you actually loved me… this whole time-"

"I've loved you ever since that time i kissed you , if im not mistaken…"

"Eh? That time in the park?"

"That was the third" he corrected her

"No it wasn't! That was the second"

Naoki pulled her away from the hug, he gently cupped her face "it's okay. You don't have to keep count anymore"

Again kotoko was caught off guard, she felt his lips touch hers again but This time, she held him closer and tighter than before.

A few hours later, daylight came and it was back to working in the hospital right away.

naoki walked the hallways feeling like he could take on the world.

Despite the lack of sleep he got, the coffee kotoko made him and their walk together to work just energized him even more.

Today his agenda was simple. Just some paperwork and a run through with nami-chan's guardian, after that he promised kotoko that he would go with her to aihara to have some dinner.

He looked at his clock and counted the hours left.

Just 3 more hours until he was off duty, from a distance, his excitement didn't show, but his hand clutched something inside the pocket of his white robe.

It was kotoko's engagement ring, last night shigeo had given it to him, apparently it was was etsuko's , kotoko's mother. She wanted her daughter to inherit it once shigeo finds a man worthy for their daughter to marry. naoki accepted it gratefully. He knew kotoko would be happy to receive such a gift from her mom, he looked forward to the expression he'll be able to see once he presents it to her.

But before he could turn to the nurse's breakroom

His eye catches kotoko along with her friends and the 3 senior nurses that had been bullying her for the past few months.

Suddenly walking into the situation just seemed right.

He approached them and everybody fell silent.

"Irie-kun… what are you-"

"It's supposed to be irie-sensei"

the nurse corrected her. " See what i mean? We can't have a new nurse being disrespectful around here, especially towards our best doctor!" the nurse dared to open her mouth

"She's not being disrespectful! Didn't you know… they're engaged!" motoki jumped in to defend his friend.

"Engaged ? HA ! you must be kidding me ! irie-sensei? Engaged to this plain jane? What a joke"

The three chuckled in humor

"Nurse suki-san, i'd appreciate it if you stop mocking my fiance. I don't find it amusing in any way… i find it quite… disrespectful, don't you think?"

"Heh? Irie-sensei, i didn't know you had such humor…" the laughing died down when they finally see naoki's extremely neutral face. Their mouths hung open in terror as they came to a realization that naoki was indeed serious.

"No way... "

Naoki let out a sigh of deprivation, he was so sick and tired of all the drama happening in this hospital, he turns to face the senior nurses and places his arm around kotoko to visually make them understand.

"We don't tolerate bullying in this hospital, i'm pretty sure the head nurse mentioned that. now if you have a problem with my finance, please don't hesitate to discuss matters with me… now, is there any issues with her work ethic?"

"No but-"

"Then as her seniors, i believe you give her the respect every registered nurse here deserves. Afterall, you all had to go through years of hard schooling, and hours of practical training.

Kotoko has done all of that too, so please take in consideration that we _all_ started somewhere.

But that doesn't give anyone any leverage to treat someone with disrespect"

The three nurses trembled in fear, just with the tone of his voice...it was commanding and defensive.

"If there is anyone in this hospital that's being mistreated, i won't think twice of notifying the authorities… understood?"

"Y-yes irie-sensei"

The three scurried away while hissing at each other.

As soon as they left. Naoki patted her head gently about to head out himself

Nurse mari and motoki cheered with delight.

Seeing naoki like that was definitely something you don't see everyday.

"ah … kotoko" naoki stopped in his tracks

"Yes?"

"i'll come here to pick you up when your done so be ready on time"

She nodded with a smile.

The week flew by quickly.

As the rumors spread, more and more people came to congratulate the new couple, the bullying had finally stopped ever since that incident.

And everytime their lunch breaks overlapped each other, the couple would usually eat together by the cafeteria along with kotoko's nurse friends.

When friday finally arrived… niriko made sure to remind the two of the family meeting she had planned for the evening.

Apparently she had an important announcement for the whole family.

Tea was served, along with the cookies that kotoko baked which was average tasting

"It doesn't taste sweet, but at least its edible compared to your cookies a few years ago" yuki critiqued them as he ate

"Less sugar? Then i guess i'll have more! Man, eating healthy can be so tiring sometimes" shigeki laughed.

"What's the meeting for?" naoki bluntly asks out of nowhere

"Onii-chan! We just started… why are you in such a hurry to-"

"We all know when you call for a meeting its either something pointless or something drastic"

He coldly states

Noriko pouted "that's not true…. Well…"

"What is it mama? We all want to know as soon as possible too!"

"Is it the house? I know we need to repaint the walls but i'm so busy with the restaurant that-"

"No its not the house. Actually, what are everybody's plans this weekend?"

"Umm… irie-kun and i took the week off so we can visit sahoko-san and her baby in osaka, we want to properly congratulate her on her engagement"

"I think i'm working on the sunday, there's a couple of things i need to go over with kinnosuke"

"I have to help konomi-san study for her quiz"

"And i-"

"Cancel it! Cancel it all!" noriko had her hands out

"Ehhh?"

Naoki huffed, he knew his mother all too well, he wasn't even suprised.

"I booked a weekend vacation for the whole family. Besides… when was the last time we all went on vacation? See? We all need it once in a while… ive already made the reservations so make sure you cancel all your plans for the weekend"

"Hah? But okaasan, i already promised konomi-san"

"No buts yuki! My decision is final! I wont take no's for an answer, now…. Make sure you all pack warm clothing"

"Where are we going?" naoki dared to ask

"Well where else? She pulled out a broschere from her purse to show everyone

"Tadaaaaaaaa!"

Everyone squinted as they gravitated closer to noriko

"OKINAWA?!"

 **AN**

 **I wonder if you guys know where im going with this?**

 **Also, if your all willing to wait, i might just extend it to 3 more chapters instead of one more.**

 **Just so it ends at chapter 20, and i do take in all of your suggestions… so let me know what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

"Coffee please" kotoko answered the flight attended who gladly helped her to a cup.

She nodded politely as she thanked her

Grinning at the warm cup in her hands.

Naoki raised his brow as he watches her take her first sip

"Were going to okinawa. Its in japan. Why do you have to speak in english?"

"Thats cause its my first time being on the plane! Everything is so formal here! 'Please fasten your seat belts' 'coffee? Or tea?' Its getting me excited"

"You've been excited since mother announced it. Your getting too carried away. Its only a vacation"

Kotoko ignored her fiance's words, she snapped a picture with him using her pink camera. Naoki just watches her as she gazes at the window beside her, admiring how simple minded she can be, getting worked up at the smallest details.

By the time the plane landed, kotoko was fast asleep on naoki's shoulder.

He just sat there as he waited for the others to get up, not minding the stares people were giving him.

"Oy kotoko, wake up... were here"

He paused as she mumbled something

"Mhmm... i love you irie-kun"

Naoki's lips moved to a slight curve

He still couldnt believe after everything theyv'e been through, kotoko still loved him. He waited there patiently, trying to think of a better way to wake her up

"Oy kotoko... if you dont wake up, we'l lose time and we wont be able to go to the beach... i was thinking of bringing you there, just the two of us"

Kotoko shot up straight

"The beach?! Really?! You'll bring me to the beach?!"

"Yeah, if we can get away from okaa-san that is"

Naoki rose up to grab their items on the top shelf.

"Now, where are those guys?"

Noriko purposely made sure to seat the couple separately from them.

Since she already bought the tickets, there really wasn't anything they could do.

When they finally met up at the terminal of the airport, they were picked up by a big van that noriko had rented out.

She had planned everything about the trip from day 1 till the end.

"What hotel are we staying at?" Naoki questioned his mother

"You'll see!" Noriko giggled

Naoki relaxed his back on the seat with his arms crossed

He was suspicious of his mother.

His intuition is telling him that she has more surprises up her sleeves

The van stops in front of a large chapel

It looked elegant and grand

Noriko ordered for everyone to step out the van

"What are we doing here?"

Yuki whispered to his father and older brother"

"I guess mama wants to go sight seeing first before we check in" shigeki guessed

Naoki stayed silent. He had a hunch but he placed the idea aside, thinking his mother wouldnt go that far.

Kotoko was bedazzled by the chapel.

Her eyes were wide open in astonishment

She went ahead of everyone and walked closer to the chapels entrance

Naoki watched her from behind.

Since she loved the place so much, he was wondering if she would insist on getting married there. He thought about it, and agreed to himself that he would inquire more information if the owner was there.

When they finally arrived at the front doors noriko opened them herself

Revealing a number of familiar faces

Everyones mouths dropped

All their friends and family were there inside the chapel before them, wearing formal clothing.

The church was already beautifully decorated with flowers

Everyone who was inside greeted them with a smile and party poppers

"Congratulations!"

Everyone they loved was present.

Shigeo's employers including kinnosuke and chris.

Sahoko and her baby along with her fiance, wantanabe and matsumoto.

Even hanako was there along with her parents and ryuu holding her hand.

Kotoko's nurse friends and even nurse hosoi and toyo oba-chan.

Little nami was there as well as her mother.

Also satomi with her daughter and husband, they were standing side by side with jinko and her boyfriend

Along with the familiar faces were the employees of pandai and several of naoki's colleagues including funatsu.

"W-whats going on here?!" Kotoko finally managed to ask

Naoki rolled his eyes. By now everyone but her had it figured out

"Todays your wedding! I decided to surprise you both as a gift so that you can get married here in this beautiful chapel! Isn't it lovely?"

Kotoko was speechless. She had so many questions she didn't know where to start

"Go on now, mens lounge rooms are to the right, all your clothes are there! New and fitted to perfection! You have 1 hour to get ready okay? Come kotoko-chan! Ours is to the left, lets get you in that wedding dress"

"B-but... wait-" she extended her hand to reach for naoki's but noriko pulled her away before she could refuse, along with hanako who happily assisted noriko

Hair and make up only took 30 minutes to complete. Hanako and her team had made drastic efforts in order to be on schedule. The hair stylist had braided her hair and finished it with a low bun with strands framing her face, the make up artist had given her a soft and natural look that showcased her youthful and cheerful glow.

Hanako forced her into a wedding dress that one can only dream to wear.

It was white as snow and the cut on her chest was a clean strapless sweet heart shape that had a tight white ribbon that hugged her waist and ended with a big bow just below her back, the rest of the dress poofed with such volume, covering her feet, the edges of the dress was a sprinkle of white cherry blossoms engraved on the dress. Her veil covered her face as kotoko stared at the bride before her as she faced the mirror.

'I cant believe this is actually happening'

She couldn't help but admire all the hard work everyone has put into her image.

She could feel her cheeks get warm

"You look beautiful"

Hanako placed a hand on her friends shoulder, proud with how far kotoko has come, she looked at her friend with such great respect.

"Thank you hanako-chan... do you know if irie is..."

"Oh he's ready. I bet you he's nervous as well!"

"Irie-kun? Nervous like me? No... impossible"

-a few moments ago at the mens changing room sat irie naoki, his eyes glued the floor as he eyed for his own reflection-

"Irie-san"

"Ah, hanako-san"

Irie acknowledges her presence with a small nod. She takes a seat beside him and observes him even more

"What is it?"

"You nervous?"

"Well of course Iam, just a few minutes ago i had no idea that today was my wedding day"

Hanako grinned and chuckled a bit

She patted him on the back for encouragement

"You two will be okay, you were gonna get married anyway right? Timing shouldn't matter"

"I at least wanted time to prepare. I also wanted kotoko to have her way with things, i know deep down inside she has this big fantasy of a wedding so ridiculous she wouldn't dare tell anyone , i just want everything perfect for her"

"Ha! Yeah, something like you arriving on a white horse and her wearing glass slippers"

hanako laughed some more

"But knowing kotoko... i'm pretty sure shes just as happy with this... just as long as its you who shes marrying"

"Your right"

"Yosh, let me go check on her... we dont want her forgetting anything important"

"Im sure she will, please check on her anyway... shes probably as nervous as Iam"

Hanako stood up and headed for the door, as she held the doorknob she paused and a memory flashed before her eyes

"Naoki-san"

"Hm?"

"Im sure wherever my brother is... he's really happy you kept your promise, arigatou"

Without even waiting for his response, she fled to tend to the bride next door

Naoki was left there with many things circling his mind.

He thought about what hanako said and nodded in agreement as he stared at his formal shoes.

Naoki slouched his back and compressed both fingers to touch each one as he continued to reminisce his journey with kotoko.

When a silhouette appeared in the corner of his eye. He noticed the familiar face and bowed slightly to acknowledge his visitor

"You look good" kinnouske complimented him.

"Arigatou"

"Oy you arrogant guy, this is the part where you say 'you as well' "

Kinnosuke playfully tapped him

Naoki stayed composed, no word of response.

"Whats wrong? Are you nervous?" He mocked the groom

"Yeah" naoki bluntly answered

Kinnouske's eyes grew twice its size

"No way, i thought you were a genius? Ha! Your human after all"

Kinnosuke laughed jokingly but naoki wouldnt budge

"Oy... your not gonna back out are you?!" His face turned from happy to aggressive and surprised

Naoki finally glared annoyingly at him

after all these years, kinnosuke stayed as stupid as ever, he thought in his head

"In your dreams"

"Thens whats your problem?! You should be happy! You have no right to be nervous, kotoko has loved you since we could all remember"

Naoki sighed "thats the thing, all this time i always believed she belonged to someone better... like maybe"

"Hirosaki-san? Yeah he was such a good guy"

Naoki didnt respond yet again

"Oh i see what you mean... you thought they would end up together because you finally realized how big of an idiot you are... but now that everything worked out for you and kotoko, you finally realize how too good she is for you right?"

"Im impressed, your not as stupid as i think you are"

"Why you..."

Kinnosuke sighed "well, if it makes a difference, no matter how good or bad you are for kotoko, she loves you. We all knew that from the very beginning. Even hirosaki-san did, he was the one who helped your mother organize this whole thing and-whoops!" He covered his mouth

"I wasn't supposed to tell you... damn it!"

Naoki raised a brow and gave kinnosuke a intimidating stare

"Okay okay fine! But dont tell kotoko okay?! I dont want hirosaki-san to haunt meee!"

"When you were in america. We had meetings because hirosaki-san wanted to plan a wedding for you and kotoko. He said he bet his life that the two of you would eventually end up together! Which was such a hilarious joke by the way since you know...but anyway! He made sure all of you and kotokos friends would be invited, and of course, me and chris would be catering since our business is becoming more successful, he also made sure everything was according to kotoko's taste, your mother was his sidekick"

"Why am i not surprised, i knew they got along too well for my liking..."

-Meanwhile on the other room-

Kotoko admired the beautiful dress hanako had made for her

She twirled around and watched the fabric move gracefully

Smiling as she eyed her reflection

"Beautiful feathers, make a beautiful bird"

"Oh yuki! Eh-beautiful birds..."

Without repeating the statement, he adjusts his tie beside her

"It means you look beautiful, baka"

"Oh! Thank you!" She chirped happily

"I dont have a wedding gift since everything was so sudden..."

"Hmm?"

"I guess il tell you something good as your wedding present, lend me your ear"

"U-um... okay!"

The church was filled with excitement as the ceremony began, naoki walked proudly, his arms casually striding on his sides, his chest was straightened and his face was blank,

Little did everyone know how sweaty his palms were, and that his breathing became irregular once he finally found his spot, waiting patiently for her to come.

Seconds felt like hours and he wondered if she would even show up .

Maybe she had fled the church?

Maybe she had changed her mind and realized how big of a mistake this was.

Maybe she had realized that he hurt her all too much to even deserve a second chance.

Even though he was just beside her a few hours ago, he feared a thousand thoughts.

Fully aware that if she did fled, it was the sane and wise thing to do.

But before another thought could crawl back into his head, the church doors swung open and it was as if the whole world went on slow motion.

Kotoko walked down the aisle slowly, her face was covered with a viel. Her arm wrapped around her fathers, each step she took brought her closer and closer to him. The very scene made his jaw drop in astonishment, she was beautiful.

A warm feeling inside his chest replaced all the fears he was having.

It was all forgotten and replaced by a overwhelming feeling of joy.

The ceremony begun and he could feel kotoko's nervousness, he glanced over her "im still upset because we weren't informed with all of this...but i guess since you look so beautiful il let it go"

Kotoko blushed profusely. Naoki just couldn't keep his eyes off her.

After finally stating their heartfelt warming vows, the priest finally announced the finale "you may now kiss the bride"

Naoki took a deep breath as he softly lifted the veil away to reveal kotoko's youthful glowing face

She beams at him , with a little mischievous grin plastered on her mouth

"what?"

"Ne irie-kun, you've been crazy inlove wih me since the very beginning, haven't you?"

"Hah? Dont get too carried away now..."

"I know all about it, our second kiss i mean... yuki told me" she winked at him

Naoki felt his brow twitch

"That yuki..."

But before he could add more to his sentence, kotoko interrupted him , smashing her lips into his infront of everyone. she could feel him stiffen for a second, then relax to kiss her back.

When they finally pulled away from each other they both get lost in each others eyes and start chuckling. The crowd cheers and the married couple continue to kiss one more time.

The reception hall was stunning

It was elegant and well organized with amazing staff and sophisticated features. It was a open buffet that served traditional japanese cuisine catered by both aihara and kinnosuke's business.

The space was filled with nothing but joy and love for the couple. Everyone had such an amazing time dancing and socializing, also congratulating kotoko and naoki. Just as quickly as it started, the wedding finally came to an end.

The two finally made it to their 'honeymoon suite'. Both were exhausted, kotoko could feel a blister building up from wearing those heels for way too long, and naoki felt a rush of relief as he tugged his tie loose. Kotoko rushed to the bed and rolled happily, expressing how grateful she was for the piece of furniture. She cheerfully sighs with a big smile

"Wahhhhh! this is amazing!" She says with a yawn, naoki joins her and rolls over to his side to face her "i know right?" He sees a loose hair and tucks it in her ear, "now your finally my wife" he smiles.

Kotoko places her hand on his and playfully puts it in her cheek , her smiles slowly fades as her eyes drifted to space.

"Whats wrong?"

"Am i... irie-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I promise you il do my best to be the best wife ever, so... i hope you stay patient with me, il do whatever it takes to-"

"Just stay as you are" he smiles again caressing her cheek

"Thats more than enough, your more than what i even deserve kotoko"

"Irie-kun, i-"

He kisses her again, but this time, with so much more passion and with a little bit of a aggression, she wasn't understanding what hes trying to explain, and he wanted to make her understand. But how?

"Promise me you'll stay the way you are"

Kotoko finally nodds, she could feel her cheeks burning and her eyes are locked into his. "I promise"

AN:

Guys, i have no excuse as to why i was absent for that long. Tbh i wasnt expecting to take that long of a break.

But ive been going through alot because college has been stressing me out. I do not blame you if u hate me, or my story. Honeslty. But that aside, because i was desperate to give you guys 'something' i wrote this down on my phone, i hope it wasnt that bad, but dont worry! I WILL the story, just give me time to finish it up (since i want to add extra chapters)

Again iam so sorry, il try to post the next one as quicky as possible! Hope u somewhat enjoyed this one


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